ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bass

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the value of commercial fishing for bass in UK inshore waters.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 29 November 2004
	Data for the value of commercial fishing for bass in UK inshore waters are not available. However, the total value for landings of bass in 2003 by the UK commercial fleet wherever they fish was approximately £3.2 million.

GM Crops

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what GM crop applications are pending; when a decision on whether they may be added to the National Seeds List is expected; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: There are no current GM crop variety applications in the UK National List system.

GM Crops

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it her policy to support the right of individual countries to implement national bans and safeguard measures in relation to GM crops and food at the 2001/18 Regulatory Committee on 29 November; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: Article 23 of Directive 2001/18 provides member states with the right to take safeguard action to restrict or prohibit the use and/or sale of a GMO in their territory if new or additional scientific information becomes available, after the date of consent, that indicates that the GMO constitutes a risk to human health or the environment.
	Additional scientific evidence in support of the actions being discussed at Regulatory Committee on 29 November was provided by Greece and Austria earlier this year. The European Food Safety Authority has considered the information provided and concluded that there is no new, scientific evidence, in terms of risk to human health and the environment that would invalidate the original risk assessments. The Advisory Committee on Release to the Environment has also assessed the further information provided and agrees with the EFSA opinion. Defra officials will therefore be voting in support of the Commission Decisions requesting the countries concerned to repeal these measures.

Hazardous Waste Sites

Mr. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what directions she has given the Environment Agency with regard to monitoring sites dealing with hazardous waste; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 29 November 2004
	None. The Environment Agency regulate hazardous waste landfills in accordance with the requirements of the Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002 and other relevant legislation. Other sites dealing with hazardous waste will be subject to the waste management licensing or pollution prevention control regimes.

Hazardous Waste Sites

Mr. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment was made of Wingmoor Farm, Bishop's Cleeve, Gloucestershire when deciding which sites should be eligible to deal with hazardous waste; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 29 November 2004
	The requirements for a hazardous waste landfill are set out in the Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002, as amended by the Landfill (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2004 and related Pollution Prevention and Control legislation. For those sites, such as Wingmoor Farm, that choose to be designated as hazardous waste landfills, operators had to apply to the Environment Agency for a permit that contained the operating conditions for the site. The agency had to then decide whether a permit should be issued and, if so, what operating conditions would be applied. The Environment Agency is unable to issue a permit unless the necessary planning permissions are in place. I understand that a permit has been issued for Wingmoor Farm.

Hazardous Waste Sites

Mr. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the safety implications of the transportation of hazardous waste.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 29 November 2004
	Hazardous waste is subject to the controls of the Special Waste Regulations and transport of dangerous goods legislation. Each movement is accompanied by a consignment note and tracked and recorded from the point of production to the place of disposal or recovery. The system is regulated by the Environment Agency and ensures that the waste is transported and dealt with appropriately in order to protect the environment and prevent harm to human health.

Pair Trawling

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to licence pair trawling in British inshore waters.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 29 November 2004
	As a result of Defra-funded research which identified a dolphin bycatch problem in the pelagic pair trawl fishery for bass, I announced my intention to prohibit this fishery within 12 miles of the south west coast of England. We are currently considering responses to a consultation exercise on the technical aspects of the closure before proceeding. Alongside this measure, I announced that I would introduce a licensing scheme elsewhere for UK vessels in this fishery which will be taken forward in the light of responses to the consultation exercise on the 12 mile prohibition.

Pair Trawling

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action is taken to enforce rules relating to pair trawling of British inshore waters by Spanish vessels.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 29 November 2004
	Under the Common Fisheries Policy, Spanish vessels do not have access rights to UK coastal waters. Any vessels breaching these rules would be liable to prosecution.

Peregrine Falcon

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the size of the peregrine falcon population in the UK; and what the size was (a) 10, (b) 20 and (c) 30 years ago.

Ben Bradshaw: Surveys are carried out by BTO, RSPB and conservation agencies.
	The most recent UK survey was carried out in 2002 with the number of breeding pairs estimated at 1,402.
	(a) In 1991 the number of breeding pairs in the UK was estimated at 1,283.
	(b) In 1981 the number of breeding pairs in the UK was estimated at 768.
	(c) In 1971 the number of breeding pairs in the UK was estimated at 445.

Tuberculosis

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many positive reactor cattle subsequently proved to be free of tuberculosis in each of the last five years; how their carcase was subsequently disposed of; and how many of them entered the human food chain.

Ben Bradshaw: Cattle which react to the tuberculin test are considered to be affected by bovine tuberculosis (TB), regardless of culture results. Bacteriological tests on samples taken from reactor animals are not carried out to validate the skin test results but to identify, for epidemiological purposes, the strain of "Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis)" responsible for the infection.
	Carcases and their associated offal are inspected by the Meat Hygiene Service at slaughter and those with generalised infection are fully condemned and declared unfit for human consumption. Where localised TB lesions are found in more than one organ or area of a carcase the whole carcase is condemned. Carcases with lesions in a single organ or part of the carcase and associated lymph nodes are only passed fit for human consumption once the affected part of the carcase has been cut out and condemned. If no TB lesions are found the carcase is passed fit for human consumption. Any remaining "M. bovis" would be de-activated by thorough cooking.
	Once identified as unfit for human consumption, condemned carcases, or parts of carcases, are disposed of in accordance with the relevant Animal By-Products Regulations.
	Information on meat condemned from carcases of TB reactor animals is not available in the format requested.

Warm Front

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to publish the study funded by her Department into health improvements for families and individuals whose homes have benefited from energy improvements under the Warm Front scheme.

Elliot Morley: The results from the study funded by Defra into health improvements for those whose homes have benefited from Warm Front will be published in academic journals over the course of 2005–06. A summary report will be published on the Defra website.

Waste Management

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she has put in place to permit waste disposal authorities which will be introducing new private finance initiative waste management contracts to suspend fines prior to the full introduction of the contract under the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme.

Elliot Morley: None; under Section 9(2) of the Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003 a waste disposal authority (WDA) automatically becomes liable for a (financial) penalty if the amount of biodegradable municipal waste it sends to landfill in any one scheme year exceeds the amount authorised by the number of landfill allowances it holds for that year. Before that position is reached, however, a WDA will be able to trade or borrow allowances in a six month reconciliation period that follow the end of a scheme year, in order to balance its books. Alternatively, a WDA can make a case to the Secretary of State for her to use her powers to waive a penalty if the reason for the breach was beyond its control.

Wildlife Trafficking

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason secondary legislation has not yet been introduced to give effect to powers authorised in 2003 to (a) increase the maximum prison sentence for wildlife trafficking and (b) give the police the power of arrest for such crimes; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The powers will be implemented through a Statutory Instrument which will also replace The Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations 1997.
	A comprehensive review of these Regulations identified a number of difficult issues. We are now close to resolving these matters and plan to publish a draft Statutory Instrument shortly.

TRANSPORT

A249

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  for what reason the Highways Agency does not remove broken-down vehicles on the A249 Iwade to Queensborough new build;
	(2)  if he will make representations to the Highways Agency to request that it remove broken-down vehicles on the A249 Iwade to Queensborough whilst the second crossing of the Swale is being built.

David Jamieson: holding answer 30 November 2004
	The Highways Agency and its contractor, Sheppey Route Ltd., do provide a vehicle breakdown recovery service on the 17km length of the A249 between the M2 near Stockbury and Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey, but only in locations where roadworks are in progress.
	This ensures that broken-down vehicles and their passengers are removed quickly from roadworks to a place of safety. On sections of road not subject to roadworks, motorists are responsible for organising their own recovery, as they are anywhere else on the network.

Air Quality

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress his Department has made on the joint Public Service Agreement target to improve rural air quality by meeting the National Air Quality Strategy objectives for carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, particles, sulphur dioxide, benzene and 1–3 butadiene.

David Jamieson: In 2002 there were no exceedences of any PSA objective across any of the pollutants included in the air quality PSA in rural areas. This is also the case in 2004 to date.
	2003 saw unusually high levels of PM 1 0 across the UK with Saharan dust storms, continental particles and continued re-circulation of air contributing to several notable particle pollution episodes. Consequently, in 2003, there were exceedences of the objectives for particles (PM 1 0 ) at two rural monitoring sites measuring PM 1 0 .
	In implementing the White Paper, "The Future of Transport", my Department is pursuing measures to ensure that air quality continues to improve across the whole country, including rural areas. We are providing significant resources to support local authorities' local transport plans, which are required to take account of air quality and we are actively encouraging the European Commission to produce tighter proposals for emission standards for new vehicles (Euro standards).

Carbon Emissions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average level of carbon dioxide emitted per kilometre driven was for road traffic in each (a) EU and (b) G8 country in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The average level of carbon dioxide emitted per kilometre by new cars under official test cycle conditions for the original EU-15 in 2002 is shown in the table. The table includes data for cars sold by European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) members, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) members, and the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association (KAMA) members. Together, these three associations account for virtually all cars sold in the EU.
	There is no official test cycle for vehicles other than cars and so we do not have data on such vehicles. We also do not have data for the other G8 countries.
	
		Average EU-15 2002 new car CO 2  emissions
		
			 Member state Average new car CO 2  (g/km) 
		
		
			 Austria 163 
			 Belgium 160 
			 Denmark 169 
			 France 156 
			 Finland 176 
			 Germany 176 
			 Greece 166 
			 Ireland 163 
			 Italy 156 
			 Luxembourg 173 
			 Netherlands 171 
			 Portugal 153 
			 Spain 155 
			 Sweden 197 
			 UK 173

Carbon Emissions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the robustness of the estimates made for carbon emissions for road transport by the National Environmental Technology Centre.

David Jamieson: The figures that the National Environmental Technology Centre publish on carbon emissions from road transport are based on internationally agreed emission reporting guidelines which require them to be based on national statistics on fuel consumption. Thus, the figures are as robust as DTI's energy statistics on petrol and diesel consumption in the UK. A very small correction is made for the amount of these fuels used for off-road machinery, for example, lawn mowers, but the relative amounts used for these machines are very small. The allocation of the carbon emissions between different vehicle classes is based on vehicle km data from DfT's national traffic survey and speed-related CO 2 factors for different vehicle types.
	Further, the National Environmental Technology Centre emission inventories are subjected to rigorous quality assurance and quality control checking procedures and the data and procedures are reviewed annually by an expert review team of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Carbon Emissions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how the relationship between congestion and carbon emissions is factored into the figures for total carbon dioxide emissions compiled by the National Environmental Technology Centre.

David Jamieson: The effect of congestion on carbon emissions is included in as much as it affects the overall fuel consumption figures the National Environmental Technology Centre use in the calculations. That is, where increased congestion leads to higher fuel consumption then this would be reflected in the DTI fuel consumption figures used for the carbon emission calculations.

Driving Tests (Gillingham)

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the targets are for the length of time between receipt of an application for a driving test and the date of the test in Gillingham.

David Jamieson: holding answer 29 November 2004
	The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has a single appointment availability target for all practical driving test centres of nine weeks from the date the test is requested. The Agency also has a target to maintain a national average car practical test waiting time for six weeks. The current appointment availability at Gillingham is twelve weeks, and DSA is working hard to reduce this.
	For theory test appointments, the target is to give 95 per cent. of candidates an appointment at their preferred test centre within two weeks of their preferred date. The performance figure achieved during October 2004 at Gillingham theory test centre was 92 per cent.

Driving Tests (Gillingham)

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who audits the performance of the driving test services at Gillingham against their targets.

David Jamieson: holding answer 29 November 2004
	The Driving Standards Agency's performance against targets, including those achieved at all driving test centres, is assessed initially by the Agency's Central Operations Branch and Business Planning and Performance Team. Internal auditors from the Department for Transport audit these performance figures, which are published at the end of the financial year in the Agency's Annual Report and Accounts. This document is subject to scrutiny by the National Audit Office.

Highways Agency

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the annual budget of the Highways Agency is for 2004–05.

David Jamieson: The indicative capital and resource budgets of the Highways Agency are identified, in total and by main categories of expenditure, in the agency's published business plan for the year 2004–05, copies of which are in the Libraries of the House.

M2

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the remaining part of junctions 5 to 6 on the M2 will be resurfaced using a quieter tarmac.

David Jamieson: holding answer 29 November 2004
	The remaining section of the M2 between Junction 5 and Junction 6 (Milstead to Faversham) will be resurfaced using a quieter surfacing material in the summer of 2005, subject to funding being available.
	The Highways Agency's scheme to resurface the M2 between Junction 5 and Bredgar, using quieter resurfacing materials, has started works and is due for completion before the end of March 2005.

Motor Cycle Safety

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the wearing of tinted visors as a safety measure by motor cyclists; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: Following a public consultation in 2002, and after careful consideration, I decided to retain the level of tint for motorcyclists' visors at a minimum 50 per cent. transmittance. However, riders may choose the option of a helmet with a dark internal sun shield provided it is retractable.

Navigational Aids (Republic of Ireland)

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how much the Irish Government have agreed to contribute for the Dun Laoghaire project being undertaken by the Commissioners of Irish Lights; and if he will place in the Library a schedule of costs;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the plans for the Dun Laoghaire project being undertaken by the Commissioners of Irish Lights;
	(3)  when the Irish Government first agreed to provide funding for the Dun Laoghaire project being undertaken by the Commissioners of Irish Lights.

David Jamieson: The Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL) propose to redevelop their existing site at Dun Laoghaire to become their combined headquarters building and operational base. The project, with an estimated total cost of £14 million, would bring substantial efficiency gains from co-location, and realise some £7 million from the sale of the CIL's current HQ building in central Dublin. CIL has submitted an application for planning permission to the relevant authorities. Detailed design work is not yet complete and so no schedule of costs is available.
	The Irish Government confirmed on 26 November that they are ready to contribute 35 per cent. of the cost of the project, starting in 2005. We are now considering the case for sanctioning expenditure from the General Lighthouse Fund for the balance of the costs.

Navigational Aids (Republic of Ireland)

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will list the dates of meetings since January between his Department and the Irish Government on navigational aids in the Republic of Ireland; and who the attendees were at each meeting;
	(2)  what his latest estimate is of the 2005–06 value of the subsidy to Light Dues in the Republic of Ireland from the General Lighthouse Fund; and what the projected cost is in 2006–07;
	(3)  what the date is for the cessation of payment of subsidies for navigational aids in the Republic of Ireland;
	(4)  whether he plans to seek a rebate from the Irish Government for the sums contributed for the Irish Lights from the General Lighthouse Fund in the last financial year.

David Jamieson: The provision of aids to navigation around the British Isles as a whole is funded by light dues levied on shipping using ports in Britain and Ireland. Because light dues revenue at ports in Ireland is much less than at ports in the UK, there is effectively a subsidy from the UK to Ireland. This can only be calculated retrospectively; and it cannot be estimated until the annual expenditure plans of the Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL) are agreed. We expect the subsidy will amount to £6.1 million in respect of 2003–04.
	This figure is after allowing for the contribution the Irish Government already make to bring receipts from Ireland up to 35 per cent. of the operating costs of CIL, in accordance with a 1985 agreement between the British and Irish Governments. We are working with the Irish Government to renegotiate the 1985 agreement, but cannot set a date when the subsidy might cease. There have been two meetings in 2004, on 26 April and 14 October, between officials of the Department for Transport and of the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (DCMNR). The issue was also raised at a meeting in June between HM ambassador to Ireland and the secretary-general of the DCMNR. We are pressing for more substantive negotiations, involving additionally officials from the Foreign Office and the Northern Ireland Office, to begin in the new year.

Regional Transport Boards

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many regional transport boards there will be; when they will be established; what their budget will be for (a) 2005–06, (b) 2006–07 and (c) 2007–08; and what their (i) composition and (ii) remit will be.

Charlotte Atkins: holding answer 29 November 2004
	We have no plans to establish regional transport boards.

Road Developments

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the major road developments that (a) have been agreed and (b) are under consideration by his Department within the Greater London area.

David Jamieson: Under the GLA Act 1999 the strategic road network in London was transferred to Transport for London (TfL) along with responsibility for funding major projects on London borough roads. As a result there are no major road developments within the Greater London area that have been agreed or are under consideration by the Department for Transport.
	One road project that has been and will continue to be considered by the Department for Transport is the Thames Gateway Bridge. This is a TfL project where the Government have made a provisional offer of up to £200 million of PFI credits. This offer is subject to the finalisation of an acceptable business and environmental case, a satisfactory financial structure and the granting of all construction and tolling powers.

Road Safety

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made towards fulfilling the European Commission Recommendation on Enforcement in the Field of Road Safety (2004/245/EC).

David Jamieson: The Recommendation was adopted by the European Commission on 21 October 2003. Since then the UK has participated in an expert group on enforcement in June this year and a meeting of a sub-group on seat belts. Further sub-group meetings on spending and drink-driving are planned. The aim of these groups is to identify common ground, encourage collaboration between Member States and to establish good practice in road traffic enforcement.
	Road traffic enforcement was discussed recently at an informal meeting of EU Road Safety Ministers in Verona (October 2004), which I attended. The meeting underlined the importance of enforcement for road safety and the conclusions are due to be considered at a forthcoming meeting of the Transport Council

Vehicle Registration

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles have been registered with a statutory off road notification in each year since 1992.

David Jamieson: The Statutory Off Road Notification system was introduced in February 1998. The information requested, from that date, is as follows:
	
		
			  SORN Declarations 
		
		
			 1997–98 116,932 
			 1998–99 852,114 
			 1999–2000 1,014,317 
			 2000–01 1,175,199 
			 2001–02 1,421,158 
			 2002–03 1,575,084 
			 2003–04 2,645,878 
			 2004–05(1) 2,171,598 
		
	
	(1) To 31 October

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Circle initiative

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps his Department (a) has taken and (b) is planning to take in support of the Circle Initiative and business improvement districts.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister supports the promotion of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) through our participation on the advisory board of the Circle Initiative, and by providing financial support to the Association of Town Centre Management's National BIDs pilot project, which is developing 22 BID partnerships across England and Wales. These pilots will provide good practice information for the public and private sector on how to set up BIDs.

Local Authority Funding

Mr. Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much Pendle council has received in Government grant in real terms since 1996–97; and what the percentage change since 1996–97 has been in the annual grant.

Nick Raynsford: The amount of Government grant made available to Pendle borough council in the period 1996–97 to 2004–05 in real terms is shown in the table.
	The figures are derived from data as reported by the local authority, adjusted using the GDP deflator, and consists of outturn data for 1996–97 to 2002–03 and budget data for 2003–04 and 2004–05. The amounts are shown in £000s and have not been adjusted for changes affecting local authorities such as changes in function or financing.
	
		Government grants to Pendle borough council in real terms
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 1996–97 8,264 
			 1997–98 7,604 
			 1998–99 7,780 
			 1999–2000 7,843 
			 2000–01 8,111 
			 2001–02 8,541 
			 2002–03 9,071 
			 2003–04 10,230 
			 2004–05 9,629 
		
	
	The grants included are special and specific grants inside Aggregate External Finance, Standard Spending Assessment (SSA) reduction grant, revenue support grant and redistributed non-domestic rates.
	The unadjusted percentage increase in annual grant for Pendle since 1996–97 in real terms is 16.5 per cent.

Local Government Pension Scheme

Mr. O'Brien: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the timing of the introduction of changes to the retirement ages for members of the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Phil Hope: Amendments to the Local Government Pension Scheme to remove provisions that allow some scheme members to retire with unreduced pension benefits before age 65 will come into effect on 1 April 2005.

TREASURY

Civil Service Jobs

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil servants have (a) been relocated and (b) been agreed for relocation in the last 12 months; and to which areas of the United Kingdom.

Paul Boateng: Progress on delivery of the relocation programme will be announced in the pre-Budget report on 2 December.

Civil Service Jobs

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the civil service job cuts recommended by the Gershon Review were outside Greater London.

Paul Boateng: There will be an overall gross reduction in posts of 84,150 by 2008 and Departments will pursue these reductions in line with business need. Progress will be reported in the Pre-Budget Report on 2 December.

Civil Service Jobs

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many jobs recommended for relocation by the Lyons Review were also recommended to be cut by the Gershon Review.

Paul Boateng: Planned work force reductions in London and the South East are excluded from the 20,000 posts identified for relocation.

European Constitution

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the effect of the coming into force of the European Constitution on the operation of his Department, with reference to (a) changes in legislative competence, (b) the extension of qualified majority voting, (c) the increased legislative role of the European Parliament, (d) the cost of implementation of regulations, (e) the requirements of adherence to the Charter of Fundamental Rights and (f) the quantity of legislation originating in the EU institutions.

Stephen Timms: Following the Prime Minister's commitment to Parliament on 4 May 2004, Official Report, column 1456W, the Government will shortly be publishing a comparative analysis of the EU Constitution with existing EU Treaty provisions. This document will address points (a) , (b) and (c) . In addition, with regard to points (b) and (e) , I refer the hon. Member to the Foreign Secretary's reply on 5 July 2004, Official Report, columns 592W-93W, to the Member for New Forest, East (Dr. Lewis) setting out moves from unanimity to QMV in the EU Constitution, and to the statement given by the Foreign Secretary on 9 September 2004, Official Report, columns 133–36W on the Charter of Fundamental Rights. With regard to points (d) and (f) , the EU Constitution will not in itself determine the quantity of EU legislation, or any costs associated with its implementation. The introduction of a rigorous subsidiarity mechanism involving national parliaments should provide a check on new legislation and help focus it better when it is necessary.

Higher Rate Taxpayers

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many higher rate taxpayers there have been in each county in England in each year since 2000; and what percentage of the total they represent in each case.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer my hon. Friend to table 3.11 "Income and tax, by region and country" on the Inland Revenue website www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/menu.htm.

Inland Revenue Staff

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff were employed at the Inland Revenue in (a) April 1997 and (b) April 2004; what the reasons were for the change in staff numbers; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The numbers of staff employed in civil service Departments and agencies, including the Inland Revenue, are available on the Cabinet Office's "Civil Service Statistics" website at http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_information/statistical_information/statistics/index.asp.
	The effects of changes in departmental responsibilities on departmental staff numbers are also available on the website.

Invoice Payments

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average length of time was between the date of invoices issued to his Department from a supplier and payment by the Department of the invoice in the last 12 months for which figures are available; what percentage of these invoices were paid within 30 days of the date of issue of the invoice; what percentage of these invoices remained unpaid after 90 days; and if he will make a statement on the Department's policy on the payment of invoices issued to it.

Stephen Timms: Information relating to the Treasury's payment performance was published in the Treasury's resource accounts for 2003–04 (Paragraph 51 on page 10, HC920), a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. Additional information could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Pensioners (Income Tax)

Tom Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the number of pensioners living in (a) the London borough of Wandsworth and (b) Greater London who pay income tax on their income.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer my hon. Friend to table 3.12 "Income and tax for individuals aged 65 and above, by region and country" on the Inland Revenue website www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/menu.htm.

Timber

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans his Department has to fund the establishment and maintenance of the central point of expertise on timber.

John Healey: I welcome the establishment of a central point of expertise (CPET) on timber procurement as a valuable source of advice on purchasing timber from legal and sustainable sources for both Government buyers and their suppliers. Clearly, some departments are likely to draw on this resource more heavily than others, and therefore at present my Department does not plan to contribute to the funding of this body.

VAT (Golf)

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received from golfing organisations in Scotland relating to VAT.

Dawn Primarolo: I am not aware that any Treasury Minister has received representations in the last year from golfing organisations in Scotland relating to VAT.

HEALTH

Chronic Illnesses and Dementia

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of (a) chronic illness and (b) care for dementia in each of the last three years.

Stephen Ladyman: The data required to attribute national health service spending to classes of disease with the precision the question seeks are not available. However, the cost of treating and caring for patients with chronic disease, including dementias, is significant and this Government are committed to increasing investment in the NHS year-on-year, so that the needs of these patients and their carers are properly addressed.
	That is why, in the 2004 spending review, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, confirmed the sustained high levels of investment that were set in the five-year NHS settlement announced in the 2002 Budget.
	This means that, for the period 2003–04 to 2007–08, expenditure on the NHS in England will increase on average by 7.2 per cent, a year over and above inflation. Over the three years 2005–06 to 2007–08, NHS spending will increase on average by 7.1 per cent, a year over and above inflation; a total increase over the period of 23 per cent. in real terms, taking total spend on the NHS in England from £69 billons in 2004–05 to £92 billion in 2007–08.

Dentistry

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects to publish (a) the responses to his consultation paper Strengthening the Dental Team, (b) the amendments he wishes to make in the light of those responses and (c) an Order under section 60 of the Health Act 1999 to implement his conclusions; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: I plan to lay the Order before Parliament, along with a report on the recent consultation exercise, early in 2005. The Order will include amendments made in the light of responses to the consultation.

Dentistry

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission research into the NHS dentistry service in the Portsmouth City area in order to determine (a) levels of access to an NHS dentist and (b) levels of resources required to provide an acceptable standard of dentistry provision in the city; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Winterton: The latest figures available show that in the area covered by Portsmouth City primary care trust (PCT), 49.9 per cent. of adults and 65.9 per cent. of children are registered with an national health service dentist. The PCT has a detailed dental action plan to improve access to dentistry and is actively working with dentists in advance of the new contract to ensure that dental services meet local needs. At a national level, the Department is investing an extra £368 million in NHS dentistry, recruiting 1,000 more NHS dentists in little over a year and reforming the dental system to improve the long-term oral health of the nation.

Disabled People (Direct Payments)

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many direct payments were made by each local authority to disabled people in each year from 2001 to 2003.

Stephen Ladyman: Information showing the number of adults aged 18 and over with physical disability, frailty and sensory impairment receiving direct payments in England and each council with social services responsibilities, for the years 2000–01 to 2002–03, has been placed in the Library.

E-Government

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department's .gov.uk websites comply with the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines adopted by the Government in 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Winterton: The Department's website—www.dh.gov.uk—complies with the world wide web consortium's level "A" guidelines for accessibility. This has been confirmed by more than one independent assessor.
	The Department's website sits on DotP, the central Government content management platform developed and hosted by the e-Government unit. This platform was developed to comply with United Kingdom Government and industry best practice guidelines on accessibility and has been designed to work with screen readers. We are currently working with the e-Government unit to improve the product's accessibility rating from single "A" compliance to double "A" compliance.
	In addition, the Department's website was speech-enabled in September 2004. This facility allows users to download free software which enables them to have the site read aloud. Speech enabling provides an additional way of accessing the Department's content for people who may find it hard to read the website including those with dyslexia or learning difficulties, those for whom English is not their first language, or those with mild visual impairment.

Health White Paper

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to public funds of FIT magazine, as described in the White Paper, Choosing Health, Cm 6374, paragraph 95.

Ms Winterton: FIT magazine was launched as a pilot scheme in November 2004 with 23 primary care trusts (PCTs). FIT costs PCTs an average of 40 pence per copy. This compares favourably with the cost of advertising or inserting leaflets into men's magazines, which in any case would not offer the same scope for providing tailored local information. The total cost to the national health service was £92,000. The Department subsidised the overall cost of FIT by £175,000, in order to make it more affordable for PCTs.

Leukaemia

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of children under 15 years of age who (a) died and (b) suffered from leukaemia in each of the last three years who lived (i) within 100 metres of and (ii) over 100 metres away from high voltage power lines.

Melanie Johnson: No such estimate has been made. The Department has, however, been supporting a study by the Childhood Cancer Research Group at Oxford University of children with leukaemia diagnosed between 1962 and 1995 in relation to their residential proximity to power lines. A summary of the study design is available on the WHO web site at www.who.int/peh-emf.

Parliamentary Questions

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many written questions tabled in the last parliamentary session his Department had been unable to provide a substantive answer before the end of the session.

Ms Winterton: Seventeen.
	At all times Ministers make every effort to answer questions substantively before prorogation. However this is not always possible. Where right hon. and hon. Members did not receive a substantive response it is open to them to re-table their question this session.

Pregnant Women

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many pregnant women were tested on the NHS for group B streptococcus in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many babies were born having contracted group B streptococcus from their mother in each of the last three years; how many of these (a) died, (b) contracted meningitis and (c) contracted other related conditions; and what the cost of treating these babies was in each year;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the cost of providing IV antibodies from the onset of labour to all pregnant women identified as carriers of group B streptococcus.

Stephen Ladyman: Information relating to the testing of pregnant women for group B streptococcus (GBS) is not centrally available. It is for local clinicians to decide whether to test individual women for this infection. Guidelines have been issued by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), as well as the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
	Data on the number of babies who are born having contracted the infection are not collected centrally. However, a descriptive analysis of cases of GBS infection in which GBS was isolated from blood (bacteraemia) for the year 2003 only, has been published by the Health Protection Agency from routine reports received from microbiology laboratories in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In England and Wales, a total of 208 cases of GBS bacteraemia occurred in the first week after birth (early onset) and a further 103 cases of GBS bacteraemia occurred between seven and 90 days after birth (late onset).
	A special United Kingdom/Republic of Ireland study of infants up to 90 days old with invasive GBS infection (GBS isolated from a normally sterile site), diagnosed between 1 February 2000 and 28 February 2001 found a total of 377 cases of GBS infection that occurred in the first week of life, 53 of who died.
	Following on from the latter study, a further study is being conducted in collaboration with the Oxford perinatal epidemiology group into the economic impact of this infection.
	The cost of providing intravenous antibiotics is not currently centrally available. However, this information will be sought as part of the further work that the National Screening Committee is undertaking on this important topic.

Primary Care Trusts

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average budget deficit or surplus is for a primary care trust in (a) the area covered by the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority and (b) England and Wales.

Stephen Ladyman: Information provided by primary care trusts (PCTs) in the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority area shows they are forecasting an average year-end deficit in 2004–05 of £1.82 million. In 2003–04, the latest year for which audited information is available, PCTs in England made an average surplus of £12,769. Information on matters relating to Wales is a matter for the devolved Administration.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure that pulmonary rehabilitation is made available to all appropriate patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in line with the National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidelines on the management of COPD in primary and secondary care.

Stephen Ladyman: It is for primary care trusts (PCTs), in partnership with local stakeholders, to commission local services, taking account of National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidelines and subject to independent inspection.
	The national health service is currently receiving the largest sustained increase in funding in its history. The total of PCT allocations is £45 billion for 2003–04, £49.3 billion for 2004–05 and £53.9 billion for 2005–06. This represents an increase of £12.7 billion, or an average of 30.8 per cent. over the three years 2003–04 to 2005–06.

Smoking-related Illness

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS of treating patients with medical conditions deemed to have been linked to the use of tobacco products was in the last 12 months for which records are available.

Miss Johnson: Treating illness and disease caused by smoking has been estimated to cost the national health service up to £1.7 billion every year in terms of general practitioner visits, prescriptions, treatment and operations.
	Source:
	Buck D, Godfrey C, Parrott S, Raw M, University of York Centre for Health Economics: Cost Effectiveness of Smoking Cessation Interventions, London: Health Education Authority, 1997.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Community Support Officers (Detention Powers)

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons the detentions of 31 people under the Metropolitan Police Community Support Officer detention power pilot resulted in release after the arrival of a police officer; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: This information is not available because the data were not sought during the evaluation of the use of the detention power in the six pilot forces.
	The report "Community Support Officer (Detention Power) Pilot: Evaluation Results" published on 29 September concluded that the evidence collected and analysed in evaluation indicated that the power to detain did not have an adverse effect either on the Community Support Officer or the detainee.
	A decision to arrest or take alternative action is at the discretion of the constable who attends the scene. A decision by a constable not to make an arrest does not imply that the decision by the Community Support Officer to detain was incorrect, particularly if the decision to detain results from an individual's failure to comply with a lawful direction by a Community Support Officer.
	The Association of Chief Police Officers is developing guidance on the power to detain and how it should be exercised. The guidance will be issued shortly.

National Offender Management Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether budgets for the National Offender Management Service will be held (a) regionally, (b) nationally and (c) locally.

Paul Goggins: Different elements of the budget for the National Offender Management Service will be held at national, regional and local level. Individual budgets will operate within the system according to where they will be most effective in helping to reduce reoffending. Most of the funding for offender services will be held by Regional Offender Managers (ROMs), who will be responsible for planning and commissioning those services.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Departmental Websites

Paul Holmes: To ask the Solicitor-General whether her Department's .gov.uk websites comply with the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines adopted by the Government in 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: The Websites for the Crown Prosecution Service, the Serious Fraud Office and the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers comply with the World Wide Web Consortium Web Content Accessibility Guidelines' Priority 1 checkpoints. The SFO will be updating its website shortly and will be making improvements to the overall structure.
	For the Treasury Solicitor's Department, the website dealing with the Department's bona vacantia matters currently complies with the guidelines, although the website for the Department generally has some minor issues which need to be addressed. These are being addressed as part of the current website development.
	The Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate website conforms with the majority of the requirements and a full compliance review will be conducted next year.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Broadband National Aggregation Board

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on (a) the work and (b) the future of the regional broadband aggregation organisations.

Mike O'Brien: In the light of the significantly changed market conditions for broadband since the set up of the broadband aggregation bodies, the original central co-ordination mechanism is no longer appropriate. In practice the opportunities are regionally based and broadband aggregation will continue to operate at the regional level. Delivery mechanisms will vary across regions, as is the case now. While there will be some cost cutting over the next year, in line with the changed business environment, the specific operations and organisation of each of the individual Regional Aggregation Bodies are governed by their boards, and decisions will be based on their regional needs and opportunities.

Broadband National Aggregation Board

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on her plans for the Broadband National Aggregation Board;
	(2)  what funding was provided for the Broadband National Aggregation Board in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement on its future funding.

Mike O'Brien: To date, the funding provided to the National Aggregation Body amounts to £571,000. Any future funding will be a collective matter for the National Aggregation Body Executive Board, as will any decisions on its future as a trading entity.

Concessionary Coal

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many former mineworkers or beneficiaries are in receipt of concessionary coal in (a) Midlothian, (b) Scotland and (c) the United Kingdom.

Nigel Griffiths: There are 32,434 beneficiaries (as at 1 November 2004) who are in receipt of Concessionary Fuel in the UK. Of these some 1,331 reside in Scotland and, included in that number, are 605 beneficiaries taking solid fuel that live within the Midlothian constituency.

Concessionary Coal

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many former mineworkers or beneficiaries are in receipt of cash in lieu in (a) Midlothian, (b) Scotland and (c) United Kingdom.

Nigel Griffiths: There are 78,440 beneficiaries (as at 1 November 2004) who are in receipt of Cash in lieu of Concessionary Fuel in the UK. Of these some 6,120 reside in Scotland and, included in that number, are 2,532 beneficiaries taking the cash alternative to fuel that live within the Midlothian constituency.

Departmental Training Courses

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the (a) cost to the Department, (b) title and (c) location was of each training course organised by her Department for its staff in each financial year since 1997–98.

Patricia Hewitt: My Department does not hold this information centrally. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Training Courses

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what financial penalties were paid in each financial year since 1997–98 to training providers by the Department for training courses prepared for its staff which were subsequently cancelled at the Department's request.

Patricia Hewitt: My department does not hold this information centrally. To provide this information could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Websites

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether her Department's .gov.uk websites comply with the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines adopted by the Government in 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: All of my Department's websites aim to comply with the Guidelines for UK Government websites, which are based on the W3C Guidelines. It is very important that all citizens should have access to Government information and services online, regardless of disability or level of competence and equipment. My Department strives to have a high level of accessibility in all its communications.

Gas Prices

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of the rising price of wholesale gas on domestic consumers.

Mike O'Brien: Initial estimates suggest that, for domestic customers, prices at the end of 2004 are likely to be 18 per cent. higher for gas and 13 per cent. higher for electricity than they were at the start of the year. The impacts of these increases will be greatest for lower income customers. They can be minimised by taking a range of actions. Switching from "home" gas and electricity suppliers can save an average of £50 a year; switching payment method to direct debit can save a further £25. Taking energy efficiency measures can provide significant annual savings, and taking advantage of social programmes offered by energy suppliers including benefits health checks and fixed tariffs, can respectively increase household income and provide greater certainty on payments.

Large Combustion Plant Directive

Mr. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects to announce how she intends to implement the large combustion plant directive; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: I have been asked to reply.
	We are seeking to implement the revised EU large combustion plants directive in a way that will meet its environmental objectives and be as cost-effective as possible for business. As we announced on 22 July, we have therefore decided to explore with the European Commission a modified approach to implementation of the directive that would combine the National Emissions Reduction Plan (NERP) and Emissions Limit Values (ELV) approaches. The UK's reasoned arguments in support of this approach were sent to the Commission on 26 November.
	We will take final decisions in the light of the Commission's response, which we expect to receive by March 2005 at the latest.

Research and Development

Hilton Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how the (a) impact and (b) success of basic research in the UK is being assessed; and how it will be assessed in the future.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 29 November 2004
	The Department of Trade and Industry undertakes an international benchmarking study to assess the impact and success of UK research against a comparator group of 26 countries, including the G8 and leading EU nations. The 2004 study shows the continued strong performance of UK science across a number of key scientific indicators including papers published, citations received, number of high impact papers and productivity per unit spend of GDP. A copy of the study "PSA target metrics for the UK research base" is available in the Libraries of the House.
	The Department will continue to track progress towards meeting the Government's overall targets outlined in the "Science and Innovation investment framework 2004–14". In particular, progress will be measured against a basket of performance indicators for each of the broad attributes of the UK science and innovation system, as set out in Annex B of the Investment Framework.

Written Questions

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to how many written questions tabled in the last parliamentary Session her Department had been unable to provide a substantive answer before the end of the Session.

Patricia Hewitt: 121. At all times Ministers make every effort to answer questions substantively before Prorogation. However this is not always possible and where right hon. and hon. Members did not receive a substantive response it is open to them to re-table their question this Session.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Republican Sympathisers

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many incidents of (a) punishment beatings, (b) expulsions and (c) criminal extortion from the owners of commercial enterprises have been committed by Republican sympathisers over the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: In the period 1 November 2003 to 31 October this year there have been a total of 40 casualties as a result of paramilitary style assaults attributed to Republican groups. No official figures on the number of people exiled from Northern Ireland as a result of paramilitary intimidation are available as not all incidents are reported. The most recent report by the Independent Monitoring Commission on paramilitary activity, published on 4 November, clearly states that Republicans are engaged in criminal extortion.

Belfast City Airport

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what reasons determined the length of the consultation period in relation to Belfast City Airport's application to increase the number of seats for sale.

Angela Smith: There is no statutory period for this type of procedure. However, we recognise that it is important to be consistent in our approach and we therefore chose to align it with the new Development Plans Regulations, which provide for an eight-week consultation period. This period was recently extended from six weeks to eight weeks and it accords with the Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) consultation process.

Devolved Government

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on recent discussions held in Northern Ireland on the restoration of devolved government.

Paul Murphy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Members for South Antrim (David Burnside) and Edinburgh, West (John Barrett).

Devolved Government

Andrew Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on recent talks regarding the restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland.

Paul Murphy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Members for South Antrim (David Burnside) and Edinburgh West (John Barrett).

Peace Process

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the peace process.

Paul Murphy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Members for South Antrim (David Burnside) and Edinburgh West (John Barrett).

Education Funding

David Trimble: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the funding of education in Northern Ireland.

Barry Gardiner: Since 1999–2000 total Department of Education spending has increased by 48 per cent. per pupil. By the end of the Draft Budget period, that figure will rise to an increase of 76 per cent. per pupil by the addition of £1.86 billion.
	In the current year the Department for Employment and Learning allocated £188 million for the further education sector and £217 million for the higher education sector in Northern Ireland.

Employment (Public Investment)

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many jobs have been created in (a) North Belfast and (b) Northern Ireland as a result of public investment in each year since 1997.

Barry Gardiner: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

GDP

David Trimble: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the level of (a) gross domestic product and (b) gross value added per hour worked in the Northern Ireland economy was in (i) 1996, (ii) 1999 and (iii) 2002.

Barry Gardiner: The Office for National Statistics is responsible for producing estimates of gross value added (GVA) for the regions of United Kingdom including Northern Ireland. Regional Estimates of gross domestic product are no longer produced since the extension of the European System of Accounts 1995 (ESA95) to the Regional Accounts. Total GVA and GVA per hour worked for Northern Ireland in
	the requested years is detailed.
	
		
			  1996 1999 2002 
		
		
			 GVA (£ million) 15,258 17,746 20,497 
			 GVA per hour worked (UK =100) 86.2 83.4 84.4

Inward Investment

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on inward investment in Northern Ireland.

Barry Gardiner: In the period April 2003 to March 2004 Invest NI secured 27 inward investment projects and total investment of £132 million. Of these, 16 were mobile projects from externally owned companies who already had a presence in Northern Ireland. In addition, there were 11 new inward investment projects involving a total investment of £35 million.

Legislation

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what pieces of legislation passed in the last 30 years that the Department is responsible for remain to be brought into force, broken down by year of enactment.

Paul Murphy: Providing the information for the period requested would incur disproportionate costs. The following list, therefore, sets out a broad overview of primary legislation from 1997 for which the Northern Ireland Office is responsible and parts of which remain to be brought into force. The list does not include provisions which have never been in force and are now repealed or spent.
	The Northern Ireland Act 1998
	All in force, apart from
	Schedule 13 paras.
	1—Minor and Consequential Amendments—Repealed (never in force)
	10—Minor and Consequential Amendments—Repealed (never in force).
	Sch. 13 paras.
	16—Repealed
	18—Repealed
	Sch. 15—Repeals—Not in force, apart from in cases of exception mentioned in the schedule.
	The Police (NI) Act 1998
	S 25 (4)—The Board's policing objectives—Not in force
	S 40 (3), (4)—Appointment of police reserve trainees—Not in force
	Sch. 6—Amendments—Not in force apart from exceptions noted.
	The Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000
	Part V—Economy, Efficiency and Effectiveness
	S 28—Arrangements relating to economy, efficiency and effectiveness—not in force
	S 29—Audit of performance plans—not in force
	S 30—Examinations—not in force
	S 31—Enforcement of duties under section 28—not in force
	2001
	None.
	2002
	Justice (NI) Act 2002
	Magistrates
	Section 9 (12)—Lay magistrates—not in force
	Section 10—Transfer of functions of justices of the peace—not in force
	Section 11—Transfer of functions of lay panellists—not in force
	Lord Chief Justice
	Section 12—Role of Lord Chief Justice—not in force
	Section 13—Presiding County court judge—not in force
	Section 14—Presiding resident magistrate—not in force
	Section 15—Presiding lay magistrate—not in force
	Section 16—Complaints about holders of judicial office—not in force
	Other provisions
	Section 18 (10)—Qualification of appointment—not in force
	Section 20—Crown Solicitor—not in force
	Section 21—Judicial Pensions: pension sharing—not in force
	Attorney-General
	Section 22—Attorney-General—not in force
	Section 23—Terms of appointment of Attorney-General—not in force
	Section 24—Removal of Attorney-General—not in force
	Section 25—Participation by Attorney-General in Assembly proceedings—not in force
	Section 26—Annual report by Attorney-General—not in force
	Advocate-General
	Section 27—Advocate-General—not in force
	Section 28—Functions of Advocate-General—not in force
	Public Prosecution Service
	Section 29—Public Prosecution Service—not in force
	Section 30—Director of Public Prosecutions—not in force
	Section 31—Conduct of Public Prosecutions—not in force
	Section 32—Discontinuance of proceedings before court appearance—not in force
	Section 33—Consents to prosecutions—not in force
	Section 34—Police complaints—not in force
	Section 35—Information for Director—not in force
	Section 36—Exercise of functions by and on behalf of Service—not in force
	Section 37—Code for Prosecutors—not in force
	Section 38—Equality and non-discrimination—not in force
	Section 39—Reports by Director—not in force
	Relationship of Director and Attorney-General
	Section 40—Superintendence and removal of Director—not in force
	Section 41—Transfer of functions etc.—not in force
	Section 42—Independence of Director—not in force
	Section 43—Appointment and removal of Director by Attorney-General—not in force
	Supplementary
	Section 44—Interpretation—not in force
	Law Commission
	Section 50—Law Commission—not in force
	Section 51—Duties of Commission—not in force
	Section 52—Reports etc.—not in force
	Youth Justice—Aims
	Section 53 (6)—Aims of Youth Justice System—not in force
	New Orders
	Section 56—Custody Care Orders—not in force
	Other Provisions
	Section 63—Extension of youth justice system to 17-year-olds—not in force
	Section 64—Juvenile justice centre orders for 17-year-olds—not in force
	Section 65—Consultation about detention—not in force
	Royal Arms and flags
	Section 67—Flying of flags at court-houses—not in force
	Community Safety
	Section 72—Local Community Safety Partnerships—not in force
	Civil Procedure
	Section 73—Constitution of Rules Committees—not in force
	Court Service
	Section 78—Power to abolish Court Service—not in force
	Supplementary
	Section 82—Excepted matters: judicial office-holders—not in force
	Section 83—Reserved matters: new institutions—not in force
	Section 84—Assembly Acts about judiciary, law officers and prosecutions—not in force
	Schedules
	1—Listed Judicial Offices—not in force
	2—Judicial Appointments—not in force
	3—Appointment to listed judicial offices—not in force
	4—Functions of justices of the peace—not in force
	5—Transfer of functions to Lord Chief Justice—not in force
	7—Functions of Advocate-General—not in force
	9—Law Commission—not in force
	11—Extension of youth justice system to 17 year olds—not in force
	12—Minor and consequential amendments
	paras. 1–14—not in force
	paras. 18 + 22 Repealed (never in force)
	paras. 30, 32–52 not in force
	paras. 53 (3), 55 (4), 57, 59–65, 68, 69, 72, 73, 76–81 not in force
	13—Repeals and revocations—not in force apart from exceptions.
	2003
	Police (NI) Act 2003
	District Policing Partnerships
	S 31—Enforcement of duties under section 28—not in force
	Section 15(1)-(5)—Independent members: declaration against terrorism—not in force
	Section 16 (1)—Independent members: disqualification—not in force
	Police functions and Service
	Section 26 (1)-(3)—Protected disclosures by police officers—not in force
	Searches and samples
	Section 41(1)—Intimate searches—not in force
	Section 42 (1)-(5)—Intimate samples—not in force
	Schedule 1—Belfast—not in force
	Schedule 4—Repeals and Revocations—not in force apart from exceptions
	2004
	Justice (NI) Act 2004
	The Judiciary
	Section 2—Membership of the Commission—not in force
	Section 3—Duty of the Commission to secure judiciary reflective of the Community—not in force
	Section 4—Appointment of Lord Chief Justice and Lords Justices of Appeal—not in force
	Section 5—Removal or suspension from listed judicial offices—not in force
	Prosecutors
	Section 6—Duty of Director of Public Prosecutions to refer certain matters to Police Ombudsman—not in force
	Section 7—Influencing a prosecutor—not in force
	Criminal Justice Organisations
	Section 8—Guidance for criminal justice organisations on human rights standards-not in force
	Bail
	Section 10—Prosecution right of appeal against grant of bail by magistrates court—not in force
	Schedules
	1—Transfer to Lord Chancellor of functions relating to Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission—not in force
	3—Court Security—not in force
	4—Repeals—not in force apart from exceptions.

LMS Scheme

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the funding surplus within the LMS scheme was for each school in the South Eastern Education and Library Board in each of the last five years; and how each surplus was used.

Barry Gardiner: I understand from the Chief Executive of the South-Eastern Education and Library Board that the funding surpluses and deficits within the Local Management Scheme for each school in the South-Eastern Education and Library Board in each of the last 5 years is set out in the published outturn statements for those years. A table containing the funding surplus for each school for the period in question has been placed in the Library. Information on how each school has been or will be using its budget surplus could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Political Situation

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the political situation in Northern Ireland.

Paul Murphy: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Members for South Antrim (David Burnside) and Edinburgh West (John Barrett).

Racist Attacks

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the number of racist attacks in Northern Ireland (a) generally and (b) with specific reference to attacks on the Chinese community.

John Spellar: Government are working on many fronts to tackle this problem. Action is being taken at operational and strategic levels by the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Government Departments and through funding of the voluntary sector. Government are committed to eradicating all manifestations of hatred, and will be unceasing in their efforts to create a safer and more tolerant Northern Ireland.
	The attacks on people from minority communities are unacceptable and to be deplored. They are an issue for all sections of society in Northern Ireland. Some of the recent media headlines would lead observers to the conclusion that Northern Ireland has become a hotbed of racial intolerance. However, this is not the case. It is frequently only the bad news that is reported, not the work going on behind the scenes to promote integration and tolerance. And while crimes have increased significantly over a number of years, I am pleased to report that the rate of increase in the number of attacks appears to be slowing down.
	The following table shows the number of racist attacks in Northern Ireland since 2001:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2001–02 185 
			 2002–03 226 
			 2003–04 453 
			 2004–05 (first six months) 312 
		
	
	The following table shows the number of recorded racist attacks on the Chinese community since 2002:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2002–03 44 
			 2003–04 100 
			 April 2004 to September 2004 51

Security Situation

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the current security situation in Northern Ireland.

Ian Pearson: The general security situation is improving. Dissident republicans remain a threat, though for the most part their activities have been thwarted, intercepted or nullified by good policing and intelligence operations.

Worktrack

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to replace the Worktrack programme in Northern Ireland.

Barry Gardiner: The Department for Employment and Learning is not planning any direct replacement for the Worktrack programme. There are already significant resources available in a comprehensive provision under the various New Deals and other employment programmes. Significant provision to improve workforce skills is also available through higher and further education.

Worktrack

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been placed on the Worktrack programme in (a) North Belfast and (b) Northern Ireland in each year since 2000.

Barry Gardiner: pursuant to his reply, 30 November 2004, Official Report, c. 63W
	There was a factual inaccuracy in the figure provided for the "Number of starts in Northern Ireland—2003–04". The correct information is as follows.
	
		
			  Number of starts in North Belfast Number of starts in Northern Ireland 
		
		
			 1999–2000 43 691 
			 2000–01 203 1,768 
			 2001–02 141 1,880 
			 2002–03 233 2,257 
			 2003–04 255 2,196

PRIME MINISTER

Parliamentary Questions

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Prime Minister, how many written questions for his Office were unanswered when Parliament Prorogued; and how many of the unanswered questions were tabled in each of the previous months of the 2003–04 Session.

Tony Blair: None.

President Bush

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the actions achieved in 2004 through his diplomatic engagement with President Bush.

Tony Blair: As always, during 2004 the UK and US worked closely together on a range of issues including Iraq, Iran, the Middle East Peace process and Afghanistan. I look forward to working with President Bush over the coming months in order to make further progress on these, and other matters.

Sir John Day

Norman Lamb: To ask the Prime Minister, 
	(1)  on how many occasions he has (a) met and (b) spoken to Sir John Day in the last 12 months; what was discussed on each of those occasions; on how many occasions he has (i) met and (ii) spoken to (A) other Ministers, (B) Government officials or (C) other staff of BAE Systems with regard to Sir John Day's appointment to BAE Systems; and what was discussed on each of those occasions;
	(2)  whether he had been informed of Sir John Day's role in assessing the causes of the crash of the RAF Chinook HC2 helicopter ZD576 on the Mull of Kintyre in 1994; when he overturned the ruling of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments; and on how many occasions he has overruled the Advisory Committee on business appointments;
	(3)  whether he has discussed with Sir John Day his role in assessing the causes of the crash of the RAF Chinook HC2 helicopter ZD576 on the Mull of Kintyre in 1994;
	(4)  how he was first informed of Sir John Day's appointment to BAE Systems; and what factors underlay his assessment that it would be in the wider national interest for Sir John Day to take up his post at BAE Systems three months after his retirement from the RAF.

Tony Blair: As set out in my letter to the hon. Member on 11 October 2004, copies of which have been placed in the Library, the tragic helicopter accident on the Mull of Kintyre in 1994 played no part in this case. As in previous cases, the procedures and rules governing Business Appointments were rigorously adhered to.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Child Allergies

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children with severe allergies were denied access to local authority extra-curricular schemes because of the lack of trained staff who can administer adrenaline in the last year for which figures are available.

Margaret Hodge: My Department does not keep a central record of the number or type of study support (out of school hours learning) activities provided by schools or local authorities, nor of the number of children who attend them. It is for local authorities and schools to determine what provision best meets the needs of the young people in the area.
	We encourage schools and local authorities to make study support activities available to all young people who wish to attend. This includes ensuring that all provision incorporates a health and safety policy. The DfES publication "Safe Keeping: a good practice guide for health and safety in study support" provides information on the legal responsibilities of staff, and guidance on first aid requirements. Copies of the publication are held in the Library of the House of Commons.

Connexions (Prisons)

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what work is undertaken by the Connexions service in prisons.

Margaret Hodge: Connexions is working in secure establishments, chiefly Young Offender Institutes, alongside the Prison Service and youth justice professionals, to deliver support services and personal development opportunities aimed at re-engaging young offenders into education, training and employment. The precise role of Connexions depends on the established support structure in each individual prison and is determined locally.

Early Years Education (Somerset)

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his estimate is of the percentage of three and four-year-olds in early years education in Somerset in each year from 1997 to 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The information is not available in the form requested. Figures on the provision of early years education in January 2005 have not yet been collected. The latest available figures for January 2004 show that all three and four-year-olds in England took up some form of early years education. Ninety seven per cent. of these children received funding.
	The available sub-national information relates the number of free part-time nursery education places taken up by three and four-year-olds. The latest figures for the Somerset local education authority area are shown in the table.
	
		Number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four year old children in maintained nursery and primary schools and private, voluntary and independent providers—1997–2004
		
			 Somerset local education authority area Three-year-olds 
			 Position in January each year Maintained nursery and primary schools(2) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers(3) Total number of three-year-olds 
		
		
			 1997 470 0 470 
			 1998 500 0 500 
			 1999 480 0 480 
			 2000 470 0 470 
			 2001 500 220 720 
			 2002 490 1,900 2,400 
			 2003 430 3,000 3,500 
			 2004 430 (5)3,700 4,100 
		
	
	
		
			 Somerset local education authority area Four-year-olds 
			 Position in January each year: Maintained nursery and primary schools (4) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers Total number of four-year-olds 
		
		
			 1997 n/a n/a 5,200 
			 1998 n/a n/a 5,700 
			 1999 n/a n/a 5,500 
			 2000 n/a n/a 5,900 
			 2001 n/a n/a 5,400 
			 2002 3,900 (6)1,500 5,400 
			 2003 4,000 (7)1,600 5,500 
			 2004 3,700 (8)1,600 5,300 
		
	
	n/a = not available
	(2) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(3) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
	(4) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(5) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years census data collection exercise and the Annual Schools' Census.
	(6) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
	(7) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census Supplementary data collection exercise and the Annual Schools' Census.
	(8) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years census data collection exercise and the Annual Schools' Census.
	Final figures for 2004 on the provision for three and four-year-olds were published in a Statistical Release Provision for children under five years of age in England—January 2004' which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway.

Entry to Employment Programme

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the future of the Entry to Employment programme.

Ivan Lewis: Since Entry to Employment (E2E) was first launched in 2003, over 60,000 young people have benefited from the programme. E2E is part of the Apprenticeship family giving a vocational ladder of learning from entry level to higher education.
	E2E has an important place in the Foundation level of the14–19 agenda and it will continue to play a key role in the Government's commitment to social inclusion.
	Local Partnerships involving Connexions and the local Learning and Skills Councils work together to ensure that E2E and other appropriate entry to level 1 programmes are available for young people.

Entry to Employment Programme

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many places his Department estimated would be taken up by young people on the Entry to Employment programme in each academic year since the programme's establishment; and how many have been taken up.

Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Entry to Employment Programme

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding has been provided for the Entry to Employment programme in each year since its establishment; and what future levels of funding have been allocated.

Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the council's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Entry to Employment Programme

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list by Learning and Skills Council area the budgets allocated to fund e2e in (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 29 November 2004
	This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Entry to Employment Programme

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which Learning and Skills Councils are commissioning European Social Fund bids to replace e2e shortfalls in England.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 29 November 2004
	This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the council's chief executive, will write to my hon. Friend with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Education Maintenance Allowances

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students in Birmingham, Selly Oak constituency are receiving education maintenance allowances.

Ivan Lewis: Since the start of the academic year, as of 25 November 2004, 8,448 young, people in the Birmingham area had received payments under the national EMA scheme. The number is increasing at a steady rate and we expect it to continue to do so. We are unable to provide numbers down to constituency level.

International Student Assessment Study

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which civil servants within his Department have direct responsibility for compiling evidence for submission to the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment 2003 study.

David Miliband: The Department's contractor for PISA 2003, the Office for National Statistics, was responsible for running the study. None of the data collected in schools passed through the Department. The data went directly to the consortium, led by the Australian Centre for Educational Research, that undertakes PISA 2003 on behalf of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Internet Access (Schools)

Richard Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools have broadband internet access.

Mr. Clarke: 65 per cent. of primary schools and 98 per cent. of secondary schools in England had Broadband Internet access as at October 2004. This equates to 68 per cent. of all schools in England.

Internet Access (Schools)

Richard Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made towards the Government target of having all schools online by 2006.

Mr. Clarke: 68 per cent. of schools in England (98 per cent. of secondary schools and 65 per cent. of primary schools) have access to broadband as at October 2004. The Government's target is to connect all schools to broadband by 2006. Over 99 per cent. of schools in England had access to the Internet from April 2002.

Internet Access (Schools)

Richard Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many different companies supply broadband to schools in England.

Mr. Clarke: This information is not available as it is not collected by my Department.

Jarvis

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public money will be invested in the investigation into the failure of the Jarvis private finance initiative bid for school building.

David Miliband: Jarvis was the preferred bidder in the Norfolk grouped schools PFI project. On 8 November Norfolk county council de-selected Jarvis as preferred bidder because it was not able to give the guarantees the council required. Since there is no reserve bidder the project is now on hold. The Department for Education and Skills is working with the council to identify the best way forward.
	On the basis of information provided by Norfolk county council my understanding is that the council has commissioned an independent review of the procurement process from the 4ps (public-private partnerships programme). When the review is completed its report will be discussed in an open council meeting towards the end of January next year. I have no information on the possible cost of this exercise, which is not the responsibility of this Department but the responsibility of Norfolk county council.

Programme for International Student Assessment

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what data was omitted from the returns required from his Department by the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment 2003 study.

David Miliband: PISA is a survey requiring pupils to take tests, and pupils and school staff to complete background questionnaires, rather than data returns from administrative records. All data collected as part of the survey were sent to the OECD by the Department's contractor, the Office for National Statistics. However, school and pupil response rates to the study were lower than those required by the OECD's technical standards for PISA.

Sector Skills Development Agency

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the (a) resource budget, (b) staffing levels and (c) administration costs of the Sector Skills Development Agency (i) were in each year between 2002 and 2004 and (ii) will be in each year to 2007.

Ivan Lewis: The Sector Skills Development Agency's resource budgets, staffing levels and administration costs for the years from 2002 to 2004 were as shown in the table.
	
		£million
		
			  2002–2003 2003–2004 
		
		
			 Resource Budget 22.6 49.58 
			 Staffing Levels 37 65 
			 Administration Costs 3.72 4.93 
		
	
	The forecasted figures for the periods to March 2007 are shown in the following table.
	
		£million
		
			  2004–2005 2005–2006 2006–2007 
		
		
			 Resource Budget 69.45 62.36 57.36 
			 Staffing Levels 91.6 89.6 89 
			 Administration Costs 5.87 6.18 6.19

Selection

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what research he has commissioned into the effect of secondary schools using partial selection on the basis of ability on maintained and voluntary schools in the same catchment area.

David Miliband: We have commissioned no research into this matter, nor are we aware of any other, independent research. However, admissions forums have an important role in reviewing the impact of the admissions systems in their areas. Where a Forum finds that any kind of admission arrangements have a detrimental impact on parents and children, or other schools, it can make recommendations as to how this could be remedied.
	Schools, local education authorities and (in the case of partial selection by ability) parents have the right to refer objections about admission arrangements to the independent Schools Adjudicator. The Adjudicator is an independent arbitrator who can rule out or reduce partial selection by ability where he finds in favour of an objector.

Single Sex Schools

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of single sex schools.

David Miliband: In June 2002 the Department published the National Statistics bulletin Statistics of Education: Pupil Progress in Secondary Schools by School Type in England: 2001.
	This contained an analysis of progress made by girls and boys in mixed and single sex non-selective maintained schools between Key stages 2 and 3, and Key stages 3 and 4. Results showed that during Key Stages 3 and 4, pupils in single sex schools on average made slightly more progress than pupils of the same gender in mixed schools. The difference was most marked in English, at around a fifth of a level between Key Stages 2 and 3. There was little difference in mathematics and science. Between Key Stages 3 and 4 girls in single sex schools gained 2 or 3 GCSE points more than girls in mixed schools. There was very little difference in progress for boys. Because the findings were based on a small group of schools the results should be treated with caution. A further study Raising Boys' Achievement conducted by Homerton College at Cambridge University will be published early next year.
	A 1999 investigation by the Institute of Education into girls' achievement in single sex schools reported that the good exam results of these schools derived from their high-achieving pupils, and not from their single sex status. The study found that ability, as well as social class and the history and traditions of the schools, had a greater impact on the results girls achieve. The study concluded that there is no conclusive evidence to suggest that single sex schooling is better than co-educational schooling.

Young Mums to be Programme

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what arrangements are being put in place to assist the Young Mums To Be programme following reductions in e2e funding; in what form this assistance is being given; and for how long it will be given in this form.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 29 November 2004
	This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Young People

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many young people were consulted by his Department on the role of the Children's Commissioner; and what the age-range was of those consulted.

Margaret Hodge: The Department for Education and Skills has established an advisory Children and Youth Board (C&YP) comprising 25 children and young people between the ages of 11 to 19. It includes members with experience of homelessness, foster care, supported living, children's homes and parenthood, as well as children and young people with disabilities (including physical and learning disabilities), and comprises representatives of both urban and rural areas and of differing ethnic backgrounds.
	Members of the board and other children and young people recently helped to draw up a person specification and job advertisement for the Children's Commissioner, and will in due course be involved in assessing applicants for the post.
	In addition to the members of the board, a number of participants were consulted on the role of the Commissioner in face-to-face workshops as part of the "Every Child Matters" consultation exercise, which involved 600 children and young people.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Websites

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether his Department's .gov.uk websites comply with the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines adopted by the Government in 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The DFID website (www.dfid.gov.uk) has been redesigned and relaunched in August 2004 to comply with the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, and Cabinet Office's e-government Unit guidelines.
	Every HTML page that is published on dfid.gov.uk is checked using Bobby web accessibility checking software. Pages are only published when there are no errors at Priorities 1, 2 or 3. Priority 3 is the highest level of conformance and the fact that we use this as standard shows how committed DFID is to providing for people with disabilities.
	Website development is ongoing and we hope to continue improving the way in which we provide information for users with disabilities in the next year. DFID Website and Intranet Teams will receive training from the RNIB early in 2005 with a view to ensuring that they maintain their understanding of accessibility issues.
	Priorities for improvement in 2005
	1. Departmental sites
	We have two stand alone departmental sites DFID Bangladesh (http://www.dfidbangladesh.org/) and DFID India (http://www.dfidbangladesh.org/) which do not meet basic accessibility standards. We aim to integrate these into the main dfid.gov.uk within the next 12 months.
	2. Publications
	We aim to make our publications more accessible by improving the way that we publish PDF documents, and also by providing material in alternative formats.

Developing Countries (Debt)

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much the UK's share is of the remaining debt owed by developing countries; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The UK has committed to paying our share of multilateral debt service costs to IDA (the concessional lending arm of the World Bank) and the African Development Fund for all countries that have completed the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative and all other IDA-only countries with robust public expenditure management systems. We have calculated our share to be 10.14 per cent. based on our burden share from the last replenishment round of IDA.

Energy Efficiency

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress the UK Government has made towards implementing commitments made at the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development to increase the availability of renewable energy sources and promote measures to improve energy efficiency under the (a) REEEP Programme of Work, (b) Export Credits Guarantee Department Renewables Initiatives Process and (c) Global Village Energy Partnership; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: holding answer 30 November 2004
	The energy commitments made at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) include action to improve access to reliable and affordable energy services as well as to increase the use of renewable energy and to promote the more efficient use of energy. The UK, through the work of several Government Departments, is actively following up on these commitments, including those referred to in the question.
	The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) was announced at the WSSD and launched in London in October 2003. The international secretariat, initially within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), moved to Vienna in the summer of 2004, where it was established with a full-time manager and staff. In addition, five regional REEEP secretariats have been set up in various parts of the world. In addition to core funds provided by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the FCO Global Opportunities Fund has provided £2 million for projects. Other contributing partners include Austria, Germany, Italy and the US. REEEP is working with other WSSD partnerships, including the Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP).
	The Export Credit Guarantee Department (ECGD) Renewable Energy Initiative, also announced at the WSSD, is to support UK exports of renewable energy technologies, providing up to £50 million of cover each year. Marketing of the initiative is a joint effort of the Department for Trade and Industry and the ECGD. Renewable energy exports to emerging markets take time to develop and there has been no take-up of the facility by UK exporters to date. However, the cover remains available and will continue to be promoted by ECGD officials and DTI trade promoters.
	The Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP) seeks to improve access to energy in developing countries, in support of economic and social development and poverty reduction. It promotes all technology options, including renewable energy where appropriate. The secretariat is hosted by a leading UK-based international NGO, with a full-time manager funded by the World Bank. GVEP has attracted over 400 partner organisations globally. A major part of its interest is to improve access to energy in Africa. DFID has provided £700,000 core funding and the full-time input of an energy expert. Other contributing partners include five EU member states, the UN Foundation, the US Agency for International Development and the United Nations Development Programme. DFID is actively encouraging GVEP and REEEP to work together, and with other energy access initiatives such as the EU Energy Initiative.

Ethiopia

Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department plans to lead the Ethiopia country dialogue as part of the European Water Initiative.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: holding answer 30 November 2004
	DFID does not intend to lead the Ethiopia country dialogue under the EU Water Initiative but is intending to strengthen the capacity of the EC delegation in Addis Ababa to take the lead on the policy dialogue and the administration of the EU Water Facility.

European Constitution

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the effect of the coming into force of the European constitution on the operation of his Department, with reference to (a) changes in legislative competence, (b) the extension of qualified majority voting, (c) the increased legislative role of the European Parliament, (d) the cost of implementation of regulations, (e) the requirements of adherence to the Charter of Fundamental Rights and (f) the quantity of legislation originating in the EU institutions.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Europe on 29 November 2004, Official Report, columns 10–11W.

European Water Initiative

Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the performance indicators for the European Water Initiative; and which of these have been achieved.

Mr. Thomas: holding answer 29 November 2004
	The EU Water Initiative aims to improve coordination of EC and EU member states' development expenditure on water and sanitation, focusing on water resource management as well as service delivery.
	The EU Water Initiative was launched in 2002 in Johannesburg, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The initiative was signed by the Presidents of South Africa, Nigeria and the European Commission, and by the Secretary-General of the UN.
	The monitoring working group of the EU Water Initiative is in the process of developing a number of performance indicators around the following outputs:
	improved coordination with other EU member states in managing development funding provided for water and sanitation;
	advance the knowledge within the EU on the management of financing for developing countries in the water and sanitation sector;
	create new, and improve existing, partnerships between donors, the public sector, private sector investors and NGOs; and
	increase the resources provided to the water and sanitation sector in developing countries.
	It is too early in the process to identify whether the EU Water Initiative has achieved these outputs.

European Water Initiative

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans his Department has to provide additional resources to the Finance Working Group of the European Union Water Initiative in order to implement their commitment to the Water Action Plan.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: holding answer 29 November 2004
	The Department for International Development (DFID), chairs the Finance Working Group of the European Union Water Initiative and provides financial expertise to the Working Group. In addition, DFID supports all aspects of the EU Water Initiative through the secondment of a sector specialist to the European Commission and through the provision of expertise to other Working Groups. Over this financial year DFID will have spent £150,000 on the EU Water Initiative, and has budgeted for the same amount for the 2005–06 financial year.

Haiti

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what measures the United Kingdom is taking to support the Government of Haiti in stopping environmental degradation in that country.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Interim Cooperation Framework (ICF) for Haiti is the basis for a coordinated national reconstruction and development programme for Haiti, including both short and medium-term priority needs. The ICF includes a programme for the environment that aims to promote alternative energy sources to replace wood and charcoal; to fight against degradation of land and key natural resources; and to promote sustainable and integrated disaster risk management through the implementation of the National Plan for Disaster and Risk Management.
	The UK is supporting the environmental measures outlined in the ICF through its contributions to the European Commission, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the World Bank who are financing efforts in this area. The EC has pledged US$3 million for environmental programmes in the ICF, and the IDB and World Bank have pledged US$105 million and US$44 million in unallocated funds to the broad economic recovery section of the ICF, some of which may be used to finance environmental programmes.
	The UK will continue to engage with its partner multilateral institutions in order to ensure that the development assistance relating to the environment in Haiti, and all other sectors, is delivered effectively and efficiently, and that the voices and needs of the poor are included and addressed.

Haiti

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the UK made a contribution to bi-lateral assistance in Haiti during the meeting of donor countries in Washington in July.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The UK did not make a bilateral contribution to assistance in Haiti during the Donor Conference held in July 2004. However, donor pledges totalled over US$1 billion, exceeding the US $924 million requested to finance Haiti's needs outlined in its Interim Cooperation Framework for 2004–06. The funds pledged included significant contributions from the following multilateral institutions supported by the UK Government:
	European Commission—US$ 288 million
	Inter-American Development Bank—US $263 million
	World Bank—US $155 million.

Haiti

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans the Government have to support efforts to bring peace and prosperity to Haiti.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Interim Cooperation Framework (ICF) sets out a comprehensive plan to promote peace, prosperity and overall development in Haiti, and covers four broad areas:
	Political Governance and National Dialogue;
	Economic Governance and Institutional Development;
	Economic Recovery; and
	Access to Basic Services.
	DFID is contributing indirectly to the Interim Cooperation Framework through its contributions to the European Commission, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, who have pledged assistance to the ICF as follows:
	European Commission—US$ 288 million
	Inter-American Development Bank—US $263 million
	World Bank—US $155 million.
	DFID will continue to engage with its multilateral and bilateral donor partners to ensure that the development assistance under the ICF is efficient and effective, and that the needs of poor people are adequately addressed.
	DFID will also continue to support civil society organisations working in Haiti through the Small Grants Scheme, the Civil Society Challenge Fund and the Partnership Programme Agreements for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Haiti

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will second staff from his Department to work in the European Commission's delegation to Haiti.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID currently has no plans of seconding staff to work in the European Commission's delegation. DFID's engagement with the Commission on Haiti will continue to be managed by the European Union department, in collaboration with DFID Caribbean.
	DFID will continue to engage in Haiti through our contributions to the key multilateral institutions operating in Haiti, including the UN, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, as well as the EC. We will also continue to support civil society organisations operating in Haiti through our Small Grants Scheme, Civil Society Challenge Fund and Partnership Programme Agreements.

Russian Federation (Children)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent support he has given to projects in the Russian Federation aimed at improving facilities for (a) street children, (b) orphans and (c) children with disabilities; what his plans are in this area; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: I refer the hon. Member to my response to his previous question dated 20 October 2004, Official Report, column 738W.

Water and Sanitation

Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans his Department has to monitor the success of its dialogue with main partner governments who have not prioritised water and sanitation in their poverty reduction strategy papers.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: holding answer 30 November 2004
	The Department of International Development (DFID) works with partner governments, respecting choices made at the country level, including priorities set within poverty reduction strategies. Where these do not include sectors or issues that DFID regards as high priority, DFID addresses this through reviews of poverty reduction strategies, and through support to strengthen policy analysis and dialogue. Opportunities for monitoring arise in particular during annual reviews of Poverty Reduction Strategies, World Bank and International Monetary Fund reviews, budget and public expenditure reviews, and during the preparation of subsequent Poverty Reduction Strategies.

Yasser Arafat (Estate)

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate his Department has made of the amount of funds in US dollars which originated from (a) United Kingdom bilateral aid and (b) aid from the European Union held by the estate of the late Yasser Arafat; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: There is no evidence which indicates that either UK bilateral or European funds are held by the estate of President Arafat. Until this year the majority of DFID's bilateral programme expenditure has been technical assistance, channelled directly through international and local managing agents, not the Palestinian Authority (PA). In 2004 DFID contributed bilaterally to the PA budget through the World Bank Public Financial Management Reform Trust Fund. Since 2000, the European Commission has provided budget assistance to the PA in addition to its technical assistance programme. This money has been managed directly by the Ministry of Finance with no involvement of the President's Office.
	The International Monetary Fund reported last year that during the period 1995 to 2000, there was a diversion of £560 million of revenue from the Palestinian Authority budget to a special bank account controlled by President Arafat. There was no suggestion that this money had been "misused"—and that the large majority of these funds had been invested in assets that are still within the public domain. The IMF report highlighted the significant progress that has been made over the last two years in improving accountability and transparency. Allocations from the PA budget to the President's Office have been drastically reduced.

SCOTLAND

European Constitution

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the effect of the coming into force of the European Constitution on the operation of his Department, with reference to (a) changes in legislative competence, (b) the extension of qualified majority voting, (c) the increased legislative role of the European Parliament, (d) the cost of implementation of regulations, (e) the requirements of adherence to the Charter of Fundamental Rights and (f) the quantity of legislation originating in the EU institutions.

Anne McGuire: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, on 29 November, Official Report, column 10–11W.

Parliamentary Questions

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many written questions for his Department were unanswered when Parliament prorogued; and how many of the unanswered questions were tabled in each of the previous months of the 2003–04 Session.

Anne McGuire: None. All the Office's outstanding written questions were answered before prorogation.

DEFENCE

Asset Tracking

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in establishing a system of asset tracking for defence logistics.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has employed two consignment tracking systems since the first Gulf War; Royal Naval Invoicing and Delivery System (RIDELS) for the Royal Navy and Visibility in Transit Asset Logging (VITAL) for the Army and RAF. VITAL was subsequently enhanced by the acquisition of the US system Total Asset Visibility (-) (TAV (-)) as an Urgent Operational Requirement in January 2003. This has automated much of the process and improved performance. We are now investing additional money on enhancing these systems still further. This will include, for example, the full integration of TAV (-) into existing consignment tracking systems.

Battlefield Digital Information

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of (a) Major J. A. Kennedy's presentation Real-Time Exchange of Battlefield Digital Information, given at the SMI Conference Joint Battlespace Digitisation on 20 May 2003, (b) Wing Commander Mike Longstaff and Squadron Leader R. K. Dyson's presentation Flying Training, given at the SMI Conference Fighter Trainer on 2 June 2003, (c) Sym Taylor's presentation Effective Management of Spares, given at the SMI Conference Military Spares and Inventory Management on 16 June 2003, (d) Lieutenant Colonel Chris Barkes and Wing Commander Chris Otley-Doe's presentation Effective and Efficient Control of Material Flow, given at the SMI Conference Military Spares and Inventory Management on 16 June 2003 and (e) Lieutenant Commander Charles Jewitt's presentation on the Joint Modular Storage Concept, given at the SMI Conference Military Spares and Inventory Management on 17 June 2003.

Adam Ingram: The following presentations are held within the Ministry of Defence and will be placed in the Library of the House:
	Sym Taylor's presentation on the Effective Management of Spares.
	Lieutenant Colonel Chris Barkes and Wing Commander Chris Otley-Doe's presentation on the Effective and Efficient Control of Material Flow.
	Lieutenant Commander Charles Jewitt's presentation on the Joint Modular Storage Concept.
	The other presentations are no longer held in the Ministry of Defence, although they maybe available from SMI Group.

Certain Conventional Weapons Convention

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the UK to ratify Protocol V to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.

Adam Ingram: The United Kingdom intends to ratify Protocol V at an early opportunity.

Certain Conventional Weapons Convention

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the countries which have ratified Protocol V to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons; what action he has taken to encourage others to sign the protocol; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Lithuania, Sierra Leone and Sweden have so far ratified Protocol V. The United Kingdom continues to urge all states to ratify Protocol V as soon as possible.

Cooneen Watts and Stone

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which elements of the Department's cut and sew contract with Cooneen Watts and Stone Ltd. have been satisfied to date.

Adam Ingram: This contract covers a wide range of deliverables, many of them not due to commence until early 2005. The supplier has achieved delivery obligations agreed to date.

Correspondence

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his target time is in 2004–05 (a) to reply to letters from honourable Members and (b) for the officials in his Office to reply to letters received directly from members of the public.

Ivor Caplin: The Ministry of Defence aims to respond to all correspondence within 15 working days of receipt.

Defence Contracts

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the date of contract signature was for the (a) Support Vehicle, (b) Light Forces Anti-Tank Guided Weapon Systems, (c) Next Generation Anti-Armour Weapon and (d) TERRIER projects.

Adam Ingram: The Demonstration and Manufacture contract signature dates are as follows:
	(a) Support Vehicle—It is anticipated that contractual negotiations with MAN ERF UK Ltd., the Preferred Bidder for the Support Vehicle Project, will be concluded by spring next year.
	(b) Light Forces Anti-Tank Guided Weapon —7 February 2003.
	(c) Next Generation Light Anti-Armour Weapon—28 June 2002.
	(d) TERRIER—19 July 2002.

Departmental Account Codes

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's account codes.

Adam Ingram: Yes.

Departmental Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of refurbishing each Ministerial Private Office was in the last two years.

Ivor Caplin: The offices in the Old War Office occupied by Defence Ministers from 2001 to July 2004 to allow the redevelopment of the main building have not been
	refurbished in the last two years. The element of the cost of the main building redevelopment which relates directly to ministerial offices is not separately identified in the contract and cannot therefore be established with accuracy.

Departmental Websites

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department's .gov.uk websites comply with the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines adopted by the Government in 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: The Ministry of Defence is undertaking a programme of work to ensure that its internet websites comply with the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. We take seriously our accessibility commitments and are striving to ensure that we deliver fully accessible services to the public on the internet and elsewhere.

EU Military Staff

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many EU Military Staff there are, broken down by (a) rank and (b) nationality.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 29 November 2004
	On 16 November 2004 the EU Military Staff comprised 147 people. The following table gives a breakdown of this figure in terms of nationality and rank. The UK Army equivalent rank is given in brackets where appropriate.
	
		
			  Rank 
			 Country 3* (Lt Gen) 2* (Maj Gen) 1* (Brig) OF-5 (Col) OF-4 (Lt Col) OF-4/3 (Lt Col) OF-3 (Maj) 
		
		
			 Austria — — — 1 — 3 — 
			 Belgium — 1 — 1 2 2 — 
			 Cyprus — — — — — — 1 
			 Czech Republic — — — — — 2 — 
			 Denmark — — — 1 — — — 
			 Estonia — — — — — 1 — 
			 Finland — — — 1 — 3 — 
			 France 1 — — 2 2 5 — 
			 Germany — 1 — 1 5 5 — 
			 Greece — — — 2 1 5 — 
			 Hungary — — — — — 2 — 
			 Ireland — — 1 1 — 2 — 
			 Italy — — — 1 1 6 1 
			 Lithuania — — — — — 1 — 
			 Luxembourg — — — — 1 — — 
			 Netherlands — — — 2 1 3 — 
			 Poland — — — — 1 3 — 
			 Portugal — — 1 — — 3 — 
			 Slovakia — — — — 1 1 — 
			 Spain — — — 1 2 5 — 
			 Sweden — — 1 1 2 3 — 
			 United Kingdom — — 1 2 5 5 — 
			 Total 1 2 4 17 24 60 2 
		
	
	
		
			  Rank  Civilian 
			 Country OF-2 (Capt/Lt) OR-5/8 (NCO) A (Legal adviser) B (Admin assistant) C (PA/ Secretary) Total 
		
		
			 Austria — — — — — 4 
			 Belgium — 3 — 1 4 14 
			 Cyprus — — — — — 1 
			 Czech Republic — — — — — 2 
			 Denmark — — — — — 1 
			 Estonia — — — — — 1 
			 Finland — 1 — — 2 7 
			 France 1 4 — — 1 16 
			 Germany — 1 — — — 13 
			 Greece — — — — — 8 
			 Hungary — — — — — 2 
			 Ireland — 1 — — — 5 
			 Italy — 2 — — 1 12 
			 Lithuania — — — — — 1 
			 Luxembourg — — — — — 1 
			 Netherlands — — 1 — — 7 
			 Poland — 1 — — — 5 
			 Portugal — 1 — — — 5 
			 Slovakia — — — — — 2 
			 Spain — 1 — — 1 10 
			 Sweden — 2 — 1 2 12 
			 United Kingdom — 3 — — 2 18 
			 Total 1 20 1 2 13 147

Human Rights Act

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many cases have been brought against his Department under the Human Rights Act 1998; and what has been the cost in (a) legal fees to defend cases and (b) compensation payments.

Adam Ingram: In line with policy and practice in other Government Departments, the Ministry of Defence does not record separately those cases brought against the Department raising issues under the Human Rights Act 1998. Human rights are now integrated in the general law and are rarely the sole basis for a challenge.
	The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Lost Flying Hours

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list (a) the average flying hours lost per month at airbases in (i) England, (ii) Wales and (iii) Scotland and (b) the flying hours per month lost due to bad weather at (A) RAF Waddington, (B) RAF Lyneham and (C) RAF Brize Norton in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Records of the average flying hours lost per month at airbases are not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	The Ministry of Defence does not hold records of flying hours lost owing to bad weather. The following table presents the total number of lost flying hours by month since January 2001 at RAF Waddington, RAF Lyneham and RAF Brize Norton when conditions were assessed as red. Red conditions are defined as when visibility is less than 800 metres or the cloud base is less than 200 ft above ground level. In these conditions, flying is unlikely to take place. Other weather conditions, for example high winds and turbulence, might also preclude flying but their incidence is not recorded.
	
		
			 RAF Waddington RAF Lyneham RAF Brize Norton 
			 Month Red Conditions (Hours) Month Red Conditions (Hours) Month Red Conditions (Hours) 
		
		
			 2001  2001  2001  
			 Jan 104:00 Jan 27:00 Jan 30:00 
			 Feb 69:00 Feb 57:00 Feb 46:00 
			 Mar 42:00 Mar 31:00 Mar 16:00 
			 Apr 8:00 Apr 6:00 Apr 6:00 
			 May 10:00 May 5:00 May 4:00 
			 Jim 3:00 Jun 0:00 Jun 0:00 
			 Jul 2:00 Jul 16:00 Jul 5:00 
			 Aug 3:00 Aug 14:00 Aug 16:00 
			 Sep 20:00 Sep 12:00 Sep 12:00 
			 Oct 46:00 Oct 14:00 Oct 23:00 
			 Nov 14:00 Nov 23:00 Nov 10:00 
			 Dec 70:00 Dec 59:00 Dec 37:00 
			 2002  2002  2002  
			 Jan 79:00 Jan 66:00 Jan 68:00 
			 Feb 27:00 Feb 18:00 Feb 17:00 
			 Mar 23:00 Mar 2:00 Mar 9:00 
			 Apr 5:00 Apr 10:00 Apr 8:00 
			 May 16:00 May 3:00 May 4:00 
			 Jun 13:00 Jun 13:00 Jun 0:00 
			 Jul 9:00 Jul 7:00 Jul 0:00 
			 Aug 39:00 Aug 4:00 Aug 3:00 
			 Sep 10:00 Sep 8:00 Sep 6:00 
			 Oct 28:00 Oct 17:00 Oct 1:00 
			 Nov 145:00 Nov 47:00 Nov 60:00 
			 Dec 100:00 Dec 104:00 Dec 63:00 
			   
			 2003  2003  2003  
			 Jan 43:00 Jan 13:00 Jan 12:00 
			 Feb 26:00 Feb 31:00 Feb 13:00 
			 Mar 34:00 Mar 28:00 Mar 14:00 
			 Apr 12:00 Apr 7:00 Apr 7:00 
			 May 0:00 May 0:00 May 2:00 
			 Jun 1:00 Jun 6:00 Jun 1:00 
			 Jul 7:00 Jul 6:00 Jul 0:00 
			 Aug 9:00 Aug 3:00 Aug 0:00 
			 Sep 4:00 Sep 2:00 Sep 6:00 
			 Oct 4:00 Oct 11:00 Oct 0:00 
			 Nov 58:00 Nov 38:00 Nov 27:00 
			 Dec 74:00 Dec 57:00 Dec 33:00 
			   
			 2004  2004  2004  
			 Jan 10:00 Jan 12:00 Jan 2:00 
			 Feb 4:00 Feb 2:00 Feb 4:00 
			 Mar 17:00 Mar 24:00 Mar 12:00 
			 Apr 8:00 Apr 1:00 Apr 1:00 
			 May 13:00 May 9:00 May 4:00 
			 Jun 1:00 Jun 1:00 Jun 0:00 
			 Jul 8:00 Jul 8:00 Jul 0:00 
			 Aug 32:00 Aug 17:00 Aug 9:00 
			 Sep 10:00 Sep 5:00 Sep 2:00 
			 Oct 47:00 Oct 25:00 Oct 8:00 
		
	
	Note: The figures have been recorded over a full 24 hour period because the stations remain open round the clock.

Red Reflection

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the ability of the successful contractor to meet deadlines for the supply of Red Reflection clothing and other camouflage combat garments.

Adam Ingram: Delivery of combat clothing items is not due to commence until early next year. The contractor is on target to meet the required delivery dates and to deliver items to specification, which includes meeting the required Infra Red Reflective standard.

Royal Irish Regiment

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is his policy that the Home Service part-time officers and soldiers of the Royal Irish Regiment are deemed to be casual workers for the purposes of pension provision; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 29 November 2004
	I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Royal Irish Regiment

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Home Service part-time soldiers of the Royal Irish Regiment have been charged since 1 July 2000 under section 69(a) of the Army Act 1955 for failure to attend a duty; and what punishments were awarded in each case.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 29 November 2004
	It would not be possible to ascertain whether soldiers were charged for failure to attend duties under section 69(a) of the Army Act 1955 except at disproportionate cost but failing to attend a duty would normally be dealt with under section 29A(a) and not 69(a) of the Army Act 1955.
	Figures are only available from 1 October 2000 onwards but from that date until the 19 November 2004 eleven Part-Time members of the Home Service Battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment were dealt with summarily under section 29A(a) for failing to attend a duty.
	Individual punishments are a personal matter between the Commanding Officer and the soldier in question but the penalties in these cases ranged from fines to restriction of privileges.

Runway De-icing Chemicals

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who supplies the RAF with runway de-icing chemicals; and how much the contract was worth in each of the last three years.

Adam Ingram: The current suppliers of runway de-icing chemicals are Verdugt BV from Tiel in the Netherlands who supply de-icer and Univar Ltd. of Middlesbrough who supply icing preventer. The combined value of these enabling contracts is approximately £1.5 million pounds per annum.

Runway De-icing Chemicals

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether shortages have been experienced in runway de-icing chemicals for RAF and other service airfields; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: There are no shortages of runway de-icing chemicals for RAF or other Service airfields. In February this year the current supplier of runway de-icing chemicals to the Ministry of Defence was unable to meet the required delivery date for a demand from an RAF airfield. The demand was satisfied by an alternative supplier.

UK Eurofighter

John Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the latest cost of the UK Eurofighter above the original estimate is.

Adam Ingram: As set out in the recently published National Audit Office Report on Major Defence Projects (HC1159–1 session 2003–04 dated 10 November), the latest cost to the United Kingdom of the Eurofighter Typhoon programme is £2,343 million above the original estimate which was produced in 1987 before development began.

Uniforms

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether uniforms made in China have been issued to service personnel.

Adam Ingram: Uniform items, such as berets and Norwegian Shirts, have previously been made in China and issued to service personnel. In terms of the recent contract award for cut and sewn items to Cooneen Watts and Stone Ltd, the uniform element of the contract is not due to commence delivery until early 2005. No uniform procured under this contract have therefore yet been issued to Service personnel.

Warship Command Systems

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what risk assessments were made on the proposal to run the command systems for future Royal Navy warships on the Microsoft Windows operating system; what other options were considered; what benefits Windows has over the other options; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Type 45 prime contractor, BAE Systems, and its sub-contractor, are responsible for selecting an operating system that meets the requirements placed on them by the Defence Procurement Agency. However, industry's decision to use Windows 2000 was also the subject of a review conducted by the Ministry of Defence which included specialist representatives from QinetiQ and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. The review concluded that the choice of Windows 2000 presented the lowest risk of the available options. The contractor considered that there were only two credible choices of accredited operating system: Windows 2000 from Microsoft and a Unix based solution, Solaris from Sun. While the Unix option was considered technically viable, the decision to use Windows 2000 was taken as it was considered to minimise the risks for long-term support.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts Council Funding

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding the Arts Council has given to theatre in each of the last three years; and what proportion of total Arts Council funding this constituted in each year.

Estelle Morris: The following table shows the Arts Council's funding commitments to theatres over the last 3 years, also expressed as a percentage of their
	total grant-in-aid spending on all artforms.
	
		
			  Total ACE Spend on Theatre (£) Theatre spend as a proportion of ACE spending (percentage) 
		
		
			 2002–03 74, 629,940 33 
			 2003–04 89,566,873 35 
			 2004–05 95,601,602 34

Athletics

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with UK Sport on the funding formula for performance athletes.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 30 November 2004
	Ministers and officials maintain an on-going dialogue with UK Sport about funding for elite athletes. Following the Sports Cabinet meeting in April this year, Ministers collectively agreed the funding package to be provided to our elite athletes through UK Sport's World Class Performance programme for the Beijing Olympic/Paralympic cycle. It is a matter for UK Sport, however, to devise the detailed formula to allocate this funding package to individual sports.

Commonwealth Institute Building

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will place in the Library (a) the report she commissioned from English Heritage on the de-listing of the Commonwealth Institute building in Kensington and (b) related correspondence between ministers and officials of her Department and English Heritage.

Richard Caborn: The information is as follows:
	(a) This report has not yet been received. I will place it in the Libraries of both Houses once the Secretary of State has taken her decision on whether or not this building should be de-listed.
	(b) There has been no such correspondence other than the standard pro-forma commissioning English Heritage's advice.

Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 27 September.

Richard Caborn: I apologise for the delay in responding. The letter concerned an application to list a telephone box under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. This matter is still being considered by English Heritage and has been delayed as English Heritage have been considering possible amendments to the criteria for listing telephone boxes. They expect to be able to provide their advice to this Department in December and a decision will be made very shortly after that. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as the decision has been taken.

Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 21 October.

Richard Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Minister for Media and Heritage replied to the hon. Gentleman on 25 November.
	The letter of 21 October was not received in the Department until 25 November 2004, and was replied to immediately.

Cricket

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what agreements made by her Department govern negotiations for new television rights for (a) international and (b) first-class cricket.

Estelle Morris: holding answer 30 November 2004
	The Government intervenes in the sports broadcasting market only to ensure that viewers have access to those sporting occasions which are considered to have true national resonance. These events are listed under Part IV of the Broadcasting Act 1996.
	Cricket test matches played in England are listed as Group B events as are the final, semi-finals and matches involving Home Nations teams in the Cricket World Cup. Exclusive live coverage of Group B events is permitted on subscription channels provided that delayed coverage or highlights have been offered on fair and reasonable terms for transmission on BBC1, BBC2, ITV1 or Channel 4.
	Other international cricket matches and first class cricket matches are not included on the list.

Cricket

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the England and Wales Cricket Board on the England cricket tour to Zimbabwe.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 29 November 2004
	Neither the Secretary of State or I have had any recent discussions with the England and Wales Cricket Board about the England cricket tour of Zimbabwe. However, officials from the FCO and DCMS have been in contact about the tour. The decision whether or not to tour is a matter for the ECB.

Cricket

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with (a) UK Sport and (b) the England and Wales Cricket Board on the proposed International Cricket Conference Headquarters in London.

Richard Caborn: Earlier this year I had an exchange of correspondence with Sue Campbell, Chair of UK Sport, about proposals to relocate the headquarters of the ICC from Lord's cricket ground. My officials have also taken part in discussions with representatives of UK Sport. I am not aware that any discussions have taken place between my Department and the ECB.

Departmental Staff

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff there were in her Department in each year since 1997.

Richard Caborn: I refer the hon. Member to table C of the annual publication "Civil Service Statistics" which provides staff numbers in my department and its agency in each year from 1997 to 2003, copies of which are laid in the Libraries of both Houses. 2004 figures have been published on the Cabinet Office website www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk.

Departmental Telephone Use

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her policy is on the use of telephones by members of staff in her Department for personal use relating to (a) domestic calls and (b) international calls; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: My Department has a policy on the use of telephones for personal calls which recognises that such calls may be necessary but that staff should keep the number and duration to a minimum.

Departmental Telephone Use

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures she has taken to ensure that telephones in her Department are not used by staff making unauthorised personal calls to international numbers.

Richard Caborn: By default, all telephones in my Department have a bar on international access. If international access is essential for an official to carry out the duties of their post then a formal written request must be submitted, countersigned by an appropriate senior official.

Departmental Telephone Use

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimates she has made of the cost to her Department of unauthorised personal calls made by members of staff to (a) domestic numbers and (b) international numbers in the last year for which figures are available.

Richard Caborn: As my Department is part of the Government Telecommunications Network (GTN), it pays a set fee per annum per extension number, regardless of how many calls are made. Therefore there are no additional costs incurred as a result of personal calls.

Digital Television

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions her Department has held with (a) the European Commission and (b) other European Union member states regarding the parameters permitted by European state aid laws for the funding arrangements of the Government's intended switch to digital television transmission; and if she will make a statement.

Estelle Morris: We have had no formal discussions with the Commission to date regarding the state aid rules in connection with the switch to digital television transmission but we have made them and the other member states aware of our plans for switchover on various occasions, including in response to the eEurope 2005 Action Plan.

Digital Television

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what advice she has sought regarding the parameters permitted by European state aid laws for the funding arrangements of plans to switch to digital television transmission.

Estelle Morris: In considering the plans to switch to digital television transmission, we have taken advice on state aids from experts within Government and from Ofcom.

Digital Television

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what advice SwitchCo has sought regarding the parameters permitted by European State Aid laws for (a) its structure, (b) its funding and (c) the funding arrangements for the switch to digital television transmission.

Estelle Morris: There is no legal entity called "SwitchCo" currently in existence. However, broadcasters are working closely with the supply chain to create an organisation to co-ordinate the implementation of the switch to digital television and I expect them to take full account of national and European legislation.

Free TV Licences

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people in Pendle receive the free television licence for the over 75s.

Estelle Morris: TV Licensing, who administer free television licences for people aged 75 or over as agents for the BBC, are not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, the number of households with at least one person aged 75 or over claiming the winter fuel payment in the Pendle constituency in 2003–04 was 5,170, according to Department for Work and Pensions records.

Free TV Licences

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the effect the implementation of the EU Directive on Age Discrimination will have on the free TV licence for those aged over 75 years.

Estelle Morris: The provision of free television licences for the over-75s does not fall within the scope of the European Employment Directive (2000/78/EC), the age provisions of which extend only to the areas of employment and vocational training.

Horseracing

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects the British Horseracing Board to complete its assessment of the impact of the European Court of Justice's recent ruling.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 30 November 2004
	I expect that the Board will wish to complete this assessment with some urgency

Olympic Games

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment has been made of the benefits to Northern Ireland of the Olympic Games being held in London in 2012.

Tessa Jowell: We are assessing the impact of staging the Games on the whole of the UK. We and London 2012 are working with all the regional development agencies and devolved administrations to ensure the whole of the UK, including Northern Ireland, can benefit.

Olympic Games

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether football matches are planned to take place in Northern Ireland as part of the bid for a London Olympics in 2012.

Tessa Jowell: London 2012 have no current plans to hold Olympic football competition matches in Northern Ireland. This is because at present there is no stadium which meets FIFA accredited standards. If Northern Ireland builds its planned national stadium, London 2012 will consider incorporating this venue within the competition—thereby ensuring that it includes cities across the UK.

Olympic Games

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much she estimates has been spent in promoting the 2012 Olympic Games; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: London 2012, the company established to develop, market and promote London's bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012, has so far spent £15.1 million in undertaking its activities.

School Sport

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether 
	(1)  she expects the Public Service Agreement (PSA) to increase the percentage of school children in England who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high quality physical education and school sport within and beyond the curriculum to 75 per cent. by 2006 to be met; what percentage has been reached to date; and what travel provisions have been made in connection with the PSA;
	(2)  if she will make a statement on the Physical Education, School Sport and Club Links initiative.

Richard Caborn: The Government are investing over £1 billion in England to transform school sport. The PE, School Sport and Club Links strategy is delivering an ambitious Public Service Agreement target, shared with the Department for Education and Skills, to increase the percentage of 5 to 16-year-olds who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high quality PE and school sport to 75 per cent. by 2006; and to 85 per cent. by 2008.
	We expect the targets to be met. Evidence from the 2003–04 survey of School Sport Partnerships showed that an average of 62 per cent. of pupils in Partnerships are spending a minimum of two hours in a typical week on high quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum. However, this figure rises to 68 per cent. in schools that have been in Partnerships the longest, while schools new to Partnerships average 52 per cent. This shows that School Sport Partnerships are making a difference.
	School Sport partnerships now cover over half of schools (54 per cent.), benefiting over 3.5 million pupils. 75 per cent. of schools will be in a partnership from September 2005 and 100 per cent. from September 2006.
	No special travel provisions have been made in connection with the PSA target. Time spent changing and travelling will normally fall outside the two hours.

Tourism

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support her Department gives to assist small tourism enterprises in the use of information technology.

Richard Caborn: DCMS seeks to use information technology as a means of increasing productivity across the small tourism business sector. We are presently contributing to the Small Business Service-led review to identify how a more coherent and customer-focused offer of public sector support can be made to small businesses, and the use of information technology and e-commerce are an important element of that review. My Department is also supporting the development of the EnglandNet project, which is being developed by VisitBritain and its regional partners. When complete, EnglandNet will offer tourism enterprises access to the 11 million potential customers who visit the VisitBritain website each year. Small tourism businesses will have access to EnglandNet through regional and sub-regional destination management systems, with the option of online booking facilities.

Tourism

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support her Department gives to VisitBritain for e-tourism; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The Department is supporting the EnglandNet project, which is presently being developed by VisitBritain and its regional partners. When complete, EnglandNet will offer tourism enterprises access to the 11 million potential customers who visit the VisitBritain website each year. Individual tourism businesses will have access to EnglandNet through regional and sub-regional destination management systems, with the option of online booking facilities.
	Funding from my Department for EnglandNet over 2001–02 to 2004–05 totals £6,891 million, as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Grant in aid funding to the English Tourism Council (to 31 March 2003) 1,034,000 
			 Grant in aid funding to VisitBritain (from 1 April 2003) 1,852,000 
			 Capital Modernisation Fund 600,000 
			 Invest to Save Fund 3,405,000 
		
	
	As part of the EnglandNet project, an additional £300,000 has been made available from the Capital Modernisation Fund to enable Tourist Information Centres to access the extranet services to be provided by EnglandNet. A further £150,000 has also come from the Invest to Save Fund to support more general work on e-business awareness and training for tourism businesses in rural areas of England.

Tourism

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to increase expenditure on the tourism sector outside London.

Richard Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is currently considering tourism expenditure plans for 2005–08, including allocations to VisitBritain. Her decision will be announced in the near future.
	With respect to regional development agencies, who have strategic responsibility for tourism in the regions, the spending review provided for a DCMS contribution of £3.6 million per annum to the RDAs' "Single Pot" funding.

Training Courses

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the (a) cost to the Department, (b) title and (c) location was of each training course organised by her Department for its staff in each financial year since 1997–98.

Richard Caborn: The Department has organised a wide range of training courses designed to meet the needs of its staff. On the majority of occasions these have been delivered at DCMS buildings in London. Occasionally these training courses take place at external facilities, usually in London, and occasionally at the Government's Centre for Management and Policy Studies (CMPS) in London or Sunningdale.
	Since 2003 our range of courses have been grouped under the following headings: Induction, Business Planning, Finance and Budget Management, Policy Development, Project Based Working, Leadership and Management, Ministers and Government, Information Technology and Diversity.
	Figures prior to 2001 are not available. Since 2001 the total annual cost to the Department of all annual Learning and Development provision, including training courses organised for the Department, was as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2001–02 318,352 
			 2002–03 590,329 
			 2003–04 453,709 
			 2004–05 (9)305,180 
		
	
	(9) to end of September 2004

Training Courses

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what financial penalties were paid in each financial year since 1997–98 to training providers by the Department for training courses prepared for its staff which were subsequently cancelled at the Department's request.

Richard Caborn: Cancellation charges of our external providers vary between nil and 100 per cent. of the cost of the course depending on the provider and how near to the scheduled date of the course the cancellation was made. From our records we have paid the following cancellation charges in the time period specified:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2002–03 495 + VAT 
			 2003–04 0 
			 2004–05 990 + VAT 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures prior to 2002–03 are unavailable.

Video Conferencing Units

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many video conferencing units are installed in (a) the Department and (b) each agency of the Department; what percentage of offices have these facilities in each case; and what plans there are to increase the number.

Richard Caborn: DCMS has one videoconferencing unit covering five office locations.
	DCMS has one Agency, the Royal Parks, which does not have videoconferencing facilities.
	There are no plans to increase the number of videoconferencing units at present.

World Heritage

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps during the UK membership of the World Heritage Committee to ensure that (a) Sagarmartha national park in Nepal, (b) the Belize barrier reef and (c) Huascáran national park in Peru are put on the list of world heritage in danger as a result of climate change.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 30 November 2004
	Under Article 11 of the Covention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage 1972 (the World Heritage Convention) the Committee is required to maintain a "list of World Heritage in Danger". There is an agreed procedure for establishing whether a site is threatened by "serious and specific dangers" and if so whether it should be included on the in Danger list. We have asked the World Heritage Centre, the Committee's Secretariat, to provide the necessary information for the Committee to consider the matter at its 29th Session.

WALES

European Constitution

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the effect of the coming into force of the European Constitution on the operation of his Department, with reference to (a) changes in legislative competence, (b) the extension of qualified majority voting, (c) the increased legislative role of the European Parliament, (d) the cost of implementation of regulations, (e) the requirements of adherence to the Charter of Fundamental Rights and (f) the quantity of legislation originating in the EU institutions.

Don Touhig: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 29 November 2004, Official Report, column 10W, by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Parliamentary Questions

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many written questions tabled in the last parliamentary session his Department had been unable to provide a substantive answer before the end of the session.

Don Touhig: None.

Parliamentary Questions

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many written questions for his Department were unanswered when Parliament Prorogued; and how many of the unanswered questions were tabled in each of the previous months of the 2003–04 Session.

Don Touhig: None.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Equatorial Guinea

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials had discussions in an official capacity with the former right hon. Member for Hartlepool during the last 12 months concerning Equatorial Guinea.

Jack Straw: Neither I nor Ministers in my Department have had discussions at any time about Equatorial Guinea with the former right hon. Member for Hartlepool. Since 14 September officials have had some contact with him and his office, first to inform his office of the letter my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs was sending to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker), and then in response to approaches by the former right hon. Member for Hartlepool and his office regarding recent media reports that named him in connection with the alleged coup plot.

Hamas

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  whether the Government was consulted about the discussions held by the High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy with Hamas; whether discussions were authorised by the Council of Ministers; under what authority the discussions took place; whether discussions have taken place with other organisations and individuals on the European Union list of terrorist organisations and individuals; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what representations he has made to (a) foreign governments and (b) European Union institutions regarding the holding of discussions with Hamas since Hamas was included on the European Union list of terrorist organisations; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  when the Government first became aware of discussions between Javier Solana and Hamas; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 30 November 2004
	As the spokesman of the European Union High Representative, Javier Solana, said on 24 November:
	"the Office of the High Representative Javier Solana clarifies that at no time Dr. Solana wished to imply that direct contacts between himself and Hamas had taken place. Any mention of contacts or meetings with Hamas referred to soundings and impressions conveyed to him but gathered by governments and other parties on the ground. At no time did the High Representative, nor his office, hold any direct contacts with Hamas or any other organisations appearing on the EU 'terrorist list'."
	There was no discussion of any such contacts at the Council of Ministers.

Iraq (Elections)

John Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what requests have been received from the interim Iraqi Government for assistance in the January elections.

Bill Rammell: Responsibility for the forthcoming elections rests with the Iraqi Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI). After discussion with the IECI about their requirements, The UK Government have contributed US$10 million and provided two DFID advisers to assist the IECI.

Middle East

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has for a conference in London on the Middle East peace process; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We have made it clear that we are determined to redouble our efforts to achieve progress towards a lasting peace and to mobilise the international community to do likewise. We are looking at how we can best support both parties to move forwards, and judge that a meeting or a conference may at some stage help the new Palestinian leadership prepare for Israeli disengagement from Gaza and parts of the West Bank in the context of the Roadmap.

Overseas Contracts

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the success of British companies in winning government contracts in other European countries.

Paul Boateng: I have been asked to reply.
	In the 2003 pre-Budget report, the Chancellor announced that Alan Wood, Chief Executive of Siemens plc, was to lead a review of UK businesses' experiences in competing for public procurement contracts in other EU countries. The report, to the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, was published in November 2004 and is available in the Library of the House.

Palestinian Authority

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assurance he has (a) sought from and (b) been given by the Israeli Government that elections for the Palestinian Authority in January will be given appropriate support by Israel.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised this issue during his visit to Israel and Palestine last week. On 24 November, following the Foreign Secretary's meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom. Mr. Shalom stated that "Israel will do everything in its power to facilitate the smooth running of the forthcoming Palestinian elections. We also welcome the commitment of the international community to this process."

Sudan

Mr. Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government in Sudan on the situation there.

Chris Mullin: In recent months my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary, the Secretary of State for International Development and I have all visited Sudan and held in depth meetings with the Sudanese Government. Most recently the Foreign Secretary spoke to the First-Vice President on the telephone on 16 November. We are in regular contact with the Sudanese Government through our Ambassador in Khartoum. Discussions cover both the situation in Dafur and the North-South peace process.

UK Embassies

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many personnel are employed (a) from his Department and (b) locally by the commercial department of the UK Embassy in Vienna.

Douglas Alexander: One full-time UK based member of staff is employed in the Commercial Section of the Embassy in Vienna plus 30 per cent. of the Ambassador and 15 per cent. of the Deputy Head of Mission. There are five Locally Engaged positions, but six staff (two on a job share). (There are 21 UK Based Staff employed in the whole of the Embassy)

WORK AND PENSIONS

Financial Assistance Scheme

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which companies he has had discussions with regarding contributions to the Financial Assistance Scheme; and how much each of them has agreed to contribute.

Malcolm Wicks: Ministers from the Department for Work and Pensions have held many meetings with representatives from the pensions industry.
	No direct financial contributions have yet been made, but we are keen that the industry should have the opportunity to offer support to the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) either by voluntary financial contributions or assistance in kind.
	We are most grateful for the valuable assistance in kind offered by the pensions industry to date, both in sharing their expertise through the FAS Industry Working Group and in supporting the data collection exercises which enhance our understanding of the problems which the FAS must address. We maintain a firm hope that the industry will further support the Government's leadership in assisting these individuals, and we believe that they have a strong interest in doing so.

IT Systems

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many different IT systems hold customer benefit data; and what plans he has to integrate those systems.

Jane Kennedy: The Department currently holds customer benefit data in seven major IT benefit systems supported by the Departmental Central Index, which holds national insurance numbers and details, and the Personal Details Computer System. The Personal Details Computer System is the Department's master repository for customer personal details and ensures the synchronisation of customer data across the benefit systems.
	As part of the modernising delivery programme, we are increasing data sharing capability across the Department and rationalising the number of systems we have holding data. Key to this is the introduction of the Customer Information System which will become the central repository for core customer benefit data. This new system will start to be delivered from mid-2005 and will enable a more consistent and consolidated approach when interacting with our customers.

Myasthenia Gravis

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on benefit entitlement for those diagnosed with myasthenia gravis.

Maria Eagle: We do not pay benefits based on medical diagnosis.
	Incapacity benefit is intended to provide a source of income for sick and disabled people of working age who are unable to work.
	Entitlement to disability living allowance is based on walking difficulties and/or the need for personal care which results from severe disability. The customer's medical condition is not, necessarily, the key factor. Rather it is the disablement that results from it and the effects of that disablement.
	We are ensuring that the benefit system encourages and promotes work where possible. However, we recognise that those with the most severe conditions may never be able to work, and benefits provide security for those for whom work is not an option.

Parliamentary Questions

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many written questions for his Department were unanswered when Parliament Prorogued; and how many of the unanswered questions were tabled in each of the previous months of the 2003–04 Session.

Maria Eagle: No questions were unanswered when Parliament Prorogued.

Theft and Fraud

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will launch an inquiry into the levels of theft and fraud in his Department committed by officials and contractors.

Chris Pond: A typographical error by Hansard in reporting a response to a previous question overstated levels of fraud and theft by a factor of 1,000. The actual level of fraud detected involving contractors is less than 1/20 of 1 per cent. of the level of expenditure. The actual level of frauds involving staff is even smaller.
	The Department has recently formed a dedicated unit with responsibility for the prevention, deterrence and investigation of internal fraud. Over a number of years actual levels of fraud and theft by contractors and officials has not significantly changed and while the Department will continue to take all reasonable steps to reduce this further it does not give grounds for an inquiry.

Winter Fuel Payments

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) men and (b) women in Pendle receive the winter fuel allowance.

Malcolm Wicks: In Winter 2003–04, the total number of people in Pendle who received the winter fuel payment was 16,850, of which 7,495 were men and 9,355 were women. We would expect the numbers to be similar for winter 2004–05.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.
	2. Locals authorities and Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. sample.

Winter Fuel Payments

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) people and (b) households in the Weston-Super-Mare constituency were (i) eligible to receive and (ii) received the winter fuel payment in 2003–04.

Malcolm Wicks: It is not possible to provide an accurate estimate of the number of people in the constituency of Weston-Super-Mare who were eligible to receive a winter fuel payment as DWP administrative data does not contain complete information on household circumstances, and payments are based on household composition.
	The number of people in the Weston-Super-Mare constituency who received a winter fuel payment for winter 2003–04 was 23,505, in 16,045 households.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.
	2. Any residence found to have four or more occupants is not included in these figures as it is assumed to be a residential care or nursing home.
	3. Locals authorities and parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. sample.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Court Closures

Mike Hancock: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if he will list the (a) magistrates courts and (b) county courts which have been closed since May 1997.

Christopher Leslie: The provision of magistrates courthouses is a matter for the 42 Magistrates Courts Committees (MCCs). From 1 April 2005 Her Majesty's Court Service (HMCS) will take responsibility for the administration of all courts below the House of Lords. HMCS will be an executive agency of the Department of Constitutional Affairs.
	MCCs are not required by statute to inform my Department of magistrates court closures that are not subject to an appeal, although the Department does keep a complete record of county court closures. The information available to my Department on the county courts and magistrates courthouses which have closed since 1997 has been posted in the Libraries of both Houses.

European Constitution

John Hayes: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if he will make a statement on the effect of the coming into force of the European Constitution on the operation of his Department, with reference to (a) changes in legislative competence, (b) the extension of qualified majority voting, (c) the increased legislative role of the European Parliament, (d) the cost of implementation of regulations, (e) the requirements of adherence to the Charter of Fundamental Rights and (f) the quantity of legislation originating in the EU institutions.

David Lammy: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Europe to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr. Hayes) on 29 November 2004, Official Report, column 10W.

Fines Enforcement

Mike Hancock: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many people were working on fines enforcement for each magistrates courts on (a) 1 April of each year since 2001 and (b) the latest date for which figures are available.

Christopher Leslie: The latest estimates are that there are approximately 1,900 magistrates courts staff working on criminal enforcement (including fines). Data for numbers of staff working on fine enforcement in individual magistrates' courts is not held centrally, and it is therefore not possible to provide a breakdown for each court. In addition no figures are available for preceding years.

Royal Charters

Norman Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many Royal Charters there are.

Christopher Leslie: The records of the Privy Council Office show that 945 Charters have been granted since the year 1231. Many of those will no longer be in force, but the task of establishing which are still extant could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.

Royal Charters

Norman Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will list Royal Charters which have been amended in the last 10 years.

Christopher Leslie: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Royal Charters

Norman Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many Royal Charters have been (a) awarded and (b) cancelled in each of the last 30 years.

Christopher Leslie: The number of Charters granted in each year since 1974 is shown in the following table. Information on the number of Charters that have been surrendered in that period could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Number of charters granted 
		
		
			 1974 1 
			 1975 3 
			 1976 6 
			 1977 1 
			 1978 1 
			 1979 3 
			 1980 3 
			 1981 2 
			 1982 1 
			 1983 3 
			 1984 8 
			 1985 0 
			 1986 3 
			 1987 2 
			 1988 2 
			 1989 4 
			 1990 2 
			 1991 1 
			 1992 2 
			 1993 3 
			 1994 6 
			 1995 4 
			 1996 7 
			 1997 3 
			 1998 4 
			 1999 2 
			 2000 2 
			 2001 2 
			 2002 3 
			 2003 2 
			 2004 5

Royal Charters

Norman Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps are taken to enforce conditions attached to Royal Charters; and who is responsible for such enforcement.

Christopher Leslie: Grants of Royal Charters are not subject to conditions.

Royal Charters

Norman Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the Government's policy is on the future award of Royal Charters.

Christopher Leslie: The Privy Council will continue to advise Her Majesty to grant Royal Charters to bodies where such a grant would be in the public interest.

Royal Charters

Norman Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what process is followed in order to alter the terms of Royal Charters.

Christopher Leslie: All amendments to Charters are subject to the approval of Her Majesty in Council. Once a body has duly resolved to amend its Charter it sends the amendments to the Privy Council Office, who arrange for them to be considered by an ad hoc Committee of Council. If the Committee agrees that the amendments should be allowed they are put to Her Majesty in Council for approval.